This article concludes THE HOYA’s countdown of the top five moments in the history of Georgetown athletics. No. 5 was Al Blozis’ easy eclipse of the world indoor shot put record in 1940. No. 4 was a hard-fought victory by men’s soccer over Villanova in the 2004 Big East tournament, while No. 3 recapped a 1941 Orange Bowl appearance by the football squad. No. 2 told of women’s lacrosse’s magical run to the 2001 Final Four.

No list of classic games in Hoya sports history would be complete without the game to trump all games, the contest that did more for Georgetown’s reputation than the 1992 presidential election or the founding of the School of Foreign Service.

That game was on April 1, 1984, and to this day it remains the Hoyas’ only national championship in the sport that has defined the Georgetown experience more than any other.

That game had everything. It was tense despite a comfortable final margin, emotional despite Georgetown’s reputation as a stone-faced Evil Empire, and redemptive despite the Hoyas’ unambiguous dominance over mid-1980s college basketball.

Indeed, the Georgetown Hoyas of 1984 entered the national championship game – in Seattle and against Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Cougars, a No. 2 seed – with “Hoya Paranoia” in full force and a bevy of intimidated opponents to attest to it. The Patrick Ewing era at Georgetown, in its third year at this point, would amass a total of 121 wins, more than any other team.

Originally referring to Georgetowners’ claims of pro-Maryland media bias, the Paranoia evolved from the Hoyas’ guarded dealings with the press to fear of the team’s on-court aggressiveness and predominantly black roster. Its coach, John Thompson Jr., was despised, and the Pep Band would provide him a fitting theme song – John Williams’ theme for Darth Vader – at competitions.

Accompanying the Hoyas’ grandeur, too, was a thirst for revenge.

Two seasons earlier, on March 29, 1982, Georgetown faced North Carolina as an underdog bidding for its first national championship. The teams’ lineups included five future NBA all-stars – not the least of whom was a Tar Heel named ichael Jordan – and the game ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Hoyas.

Fred Brown was one of Georgetown’s stars. With eight seconds left and the Hoyas down 63-62 thanks to a 16-foot jump shot by Jordan, the ball in Brown’s hands as the clock ticked down was the best situation for which any Georgetown fan could have hoped.

Brown passed the ball to a player he – or his peripheral vision, at least – thought was teammate Eric Smith. It wasn’t.

Thompson hugged Brown after the game. “Coach Thompson told me after the game that I had won more games for him than I had lost,” the junior guard told The Washington Post. “He said not to worry.”

But if your pass had landed in the hands of UNC’s James Worthy, wouldn’t you be a little hungry for redemption?

The Hoyas carried that hunger throughout the 1983-84 campaign. As simple as a 29-3 pre-tournament record might look, however, the year wasn’t short on dramatics. Georgetown needed overtime to beat Nevada-Las Vegas by two points, and fell to Villanova by the same margin in double overtime. The other two losses were a two-point defeat by No. 13 DePaul early in the season, and a 75-71 loss to rival St. John’s after Georgetown rallied from a 13-point deficit at the half.

Georgetown-St. John’s was the story in the Big East tournament semifinals. The Hoyas had drubbed the No. 14 Redmen on their own court, 83-61, back in January, so after unranked St. John’s stuck it to Georgetown at the Capital Centre, the prevailing sentiment was shock. Now, with more on the line, would they be able to stun the Hoyas again?

Not a chance, Madison Square Garden. Georgetown won 79-68, then crashed right into another New York rival, Syracuse, in the conference championship.

The two basketball powerhouses had been going at it since 1980, when, after a defeat of the Redmen in their old arena’s final game, Thompson announced to the press that “Manley Field House is officially closed.”

Though Georgetown had twice defeated Syracuse handily in the regular season, this game would be a battle for the ages. With the Orangemen on top, referees ejected freshman forward Michael Graham for taking a swing at Syracuse’s Andre Hawkins. When the call was reversed, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim went nuts.

“The best team did not win tonight!” he said at the post-game press conference, knocking over a folding chair. His team had just lost the Big East championship, 82-71, in overtime.

Two more thrilling near-losses helped carry Georgetown to the NCAA finals. In the second round – Georgetown’s first contest of the tournament, thanks to a currently out-of-practice bye system – the Hoyas almost lost to No. 9 seed Southern ethodist.

“It’s awesome to look back and realize how this was hanging by a thread,” says Fr. William McFadden, S.J., theology professor and public address system announcer at home games.

Fred Brown, ball in hand with the clock running out, inspires confidence. Senior guard Gene Smith, team captain but just as well shooting skeet on the basketball court as free throws, presented a picture of far less comfort when he was fouled as the final buzzer approached.

The score was 35-34 Georgetown, and Smith’s free throws could have clinched it. But, when one final clang all but assured a decisive Mustang possession, Patrick Ewing leaped from the foul line for a rebound. After Ewing scored, the ensuing SMU field goal was useless.

Georgetown rode easy wins to the Final Four, where, against No. 1 seed Kentucky, a loss seemed to be in the cards yet again. The Wildcats were up 27-15 with 3:06 left in the first half, and Patrick Ewing’s three fouls forced him to sit.

“We’re going up against those two towers [Kentucky big men Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin], we’re losing by about a dozen points, and Patrick Ewing has just gone to the bench,” cFadden recalls. “I never had a clearer sense that we were going home.”

Over the next 13 minutes, Kentucky did not score.

Thanks to a stifling Hoya defense that produced, in cFadden’s words, “one of the greatest second halves of basketball ever, anywhere, on any court,” Georgetown rallied for a 53-40 victory. The Hoyas were back in the NCAA finals.

Olajuwon’s Cougars were tough. They were in the Final Four for the third year in a row, and they opened their contest with the Hoyas by making their first seven shots. But, down 14-6, the Hoyas responded. Their nine-minute, 26-8 run left them with a 32-22 lead with 6:15 remaining in the half.

This time, the lead would not be relinquished.

Houston came close to evening things up in the second half, when the Cougars narrowed the margin to three points. But thanks to 19 points from freshman forward Reggie Williams, a reserve throughout the season who tallied 13 in the second half, Georgetown held on for an 84-75 victory.

Sophomore forward David Wingate added 16 points, Graham contributed 14 (and five rebounds) and sophomore guard Michael Jackson earned 11 points and six assists. Ewing, with 10 points and nine rebounds in the final game, was named tournament MVP.

Ewing and the Hoya defenders were tough on Olajuwon. The future NBA all-star attempted to narrow the margin to five with 2:30 left, but as he went up Williams grabbed the ball. Georgetown got the jump-ball possession, Wingate hit a pair of free-throws, and the score was 76-68. Game over.

As Georgetown rejoiced, Thompson hugged Brown “for what seemed like an eternity, both men’s eyes welling up with emotion,” according to The Washington Post.

This time, the tears were so very different.