On April 2nd, 1984, Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas defeated the Houston Cougars, 84-75, to capture the 46th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Final Four in Seattle. With the victory, Hoyas coach John Thompson became the first African-American head coach to lead a team to an NCAA Division I title in any sport.
Ewing was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, averaging 11.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game during the Hoyas’ championship run. The game is also notable as the 7′ center was matched up in the paint against future pro rival Hakeem (Then spelled ‘Akeem’) Olajuwon. The leader of Phi Slamma Jamma and the Georgetown center would both go on to be the top pick in the National Basketball Association Draft in consecutive years, with Hakeem being chosen first in 1984, and Ewing following suit in ’85.
Ewing, Olajuwon, and Coach Thompson were all eventually enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, further underscoring what a substantial mark in time this showdown was. To this day, the 1984 National Title banner is the only one hanging in Hoyas history, despite Georgetown’s many years as a perennial powerhouse.
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