When John Thompson II became the head coach of the Georgetown University basketball team, he would often say, “Someday, we’re going to be national champions.”
In the 1982 college basketball championship game, that dream seemed within reach; Georgetown was leading the University of North Carolina 62 to 61.
But with just 17 seconds left, everything changed. Michael Jordan, playing for North Carolina, made a clutch shot to take the lead. Georgetown had one last chance to score and reclaim the win, but a critical mistake—a misdirected pass from Fred Brown—cost them the game.
After the final buzzer, Coach Thompson embraced the tearful Brown and gently said,
“Don’t worry, Brown. Thanks to you, we’ve won far more games than we’ve lost.”
The players, who knew just how much Coach Thompson had longed for that championship, couldn’t help but admire him even more.
Two years later, Georgetown finally became national champions. And standing in that victory moment was Fred Brown, the same player who had once made that painful mistake. Overcome with emotion, he shared a heartfelt hug with Coach Thompson—this time as a champion.