Bob Knight, a renowned basketball coach, passes away at 83
bobby knight has passed away. His Hall of Fame career was capped by three national titles at Indiana, one of which ended an unbeaten season that has never been topped, as well as numerous on-court outbursts. 83 years old.
Highlights of Bob Knight’s Career
• Retired with 902 wins, the most in Division I coaching history. On January 1, 2007, Knight overtook Dean Smith with win number 880 in his career. Up until November 15, 2011, when Mike Krzyzewski broke it, he held the record.
• Won three national titles as Indiana’s coach (1976, 1981, 1987) and one as an Ohio State player (1960).
• Is one of two players and coaches to win the NCAA tournament (the other being Dean Smith).
• Played in three Final Fours (1960, 1961, 1962), and coached in five (1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1992) • Won an Olympic gold medal in 1984 while coaching the U.S. men’s basketball team
• In 1976, he led the Indiana Hoosiers (32-0) to their final NCAA Division I basketball championship without a loss.
• Regarded as the creator of the motion offense and renowned for his powerful prioritizing man-to-man defense
• Added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
Top Scores For Head Coach*
Coach Escapes
Mike Krzyzewski 1,202
Boeheim Jim 1,015
Huggins, Bob 935
Calhoun, Jim 920 Roy Williams 903 Knight, Bob 902
Dean Smith 879 Adolph Rupp 876
The news was released by Knight’s family on Wednesday evening. He had been ill for a number of years and was admitted to the hospital in April.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family,” a statement read. “We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored.”
Knight became the youngest coach at a Division I school in 1965 when he broke in at Army at 24. Nonetheless, he left his mark at Indiana, where he set a school record with 661 victories and qualified for the NCAA tournament 24 times in 29 seasons. Knight’s initial NCAA victory
came in 1976 when Indiana became the first team to go undefeated; no team has done so since.
Indiana University board of trustees chair Quinn Buckner said in a statement, “You may never see another team like this again. That was one of the things that he said to our 1976 team, which I was fortunate enough to be a part of.” “Well, I don’t know that we will ever see another coach like him again.”
Knight finished with a career record of 902-371 after winning 20 games or more 29 times in a season.
He was the coach of the last American amateur team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1984 when they competed in Los Angeles. It was not unexpected that it was met with opposition. Knight cut players like future Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and John Stockton, but he kept Steve Alford, the captain of his 1987 team that won its final national championship.
Mike Woodson, the current coach of Indiana and a former Hoosier, said in a statement, “I am so blessed that he saw something in me as a basketball player.” “I will never be able to repay the ways he impacted my life. Like he did with every player he had, he constantly pushed me to reach my full potential both as a player and, more significantly, as a person. His track record as a basketball coach is unquestionable. He is going to go down as one of the best of all time.”
After being dubbed “The General,” Knight was ultimately expelled from Indiana University in 2000 for allegedly grabbing the arm of a freshman who had addressed him by last name in violation of a “zero tolerance” behavior policy. It was the last in a lengthy list of offenses that included his most well-known moment—throwing a chair during a Purdue game—and claims of multiple physical altercations. The most famous one occurred in 1997 when Knight appeared to choke player Neil Reed during a practice.
Knight departed after that to become a basketball coach at Texas Tech in 2001, six months following his dismissal from Indiana due to what administrators there deemed to be a “pattern of unacceptable behavior.”
Knight guided the Red Raiders to five 20-win seasons during his six years at Texas Tech, a first for the program. On January 1, 2007, Knight achieved career win No. 880, surpassing former North Carolina coach Dean Smith as the most successful Division I men’s coach at the time. Knight selected the Frank Sinatra song “My Way” to commemorate the milestone, which served as a motto for him while he balanced his personal and professional lives.
Knight elucidated the significance of “My Way” at the time.
Knight remarked, “I’ve just tried to do what I think is best.” “Apologies? Yes. similar to the song. I regret things. Me
There are times when I wish I could have performed better. Sometimes I wish I had come up with a better response, a better solution. However, as he stated, I handled things my way, and looking back, I don’t think it was all that horrible.”
In the midst of his 42nd season as head coach, Knight stepped down from his position as Texas Tech’s basketball coach and left the collegiate ranks. Later on, he was an ESPN college basketball analyst.
In a statement, Texas Tech Athletics said, “Coach Knight… will always be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in not only Texas Tech history but all of college basketball.” “With his motion offense and his insistence that his teams be defined by their defense, he really altered the nature of the game.”
His influence extended beyond the court, as he was a strong advocate for student-athletes to obtain a top-notch education, as demonstrated by his teams’ yearly near-perfect graduation rate. We will always cherish Coach Knight’s influence on our basketball program as one of the best in our program’s history.”
Knight became a legend as a result of his actions and methods. But the discipline and impact he provided to coaching made him unique.
“Today we lost one of the best basketball coaches in history. He was undoubtedly unique, according to former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who succeeded his mentor as the most successful Division I college basketball coach in 2011 after playing for Knight at Army. Coach Knight helped me get a job, guided me, and had a significant influence on both my life and career. His passing has left our sport with a great loss, and our family is very saddened.”
Robert Montgomery Knight was a standout football, baseball, and basketball player in prep school at Orrville High School. He was born in Orrville, Ohio, on October 25, 1940. During his playing career at Ohio State, his teams amassed a 78-6 record overall. Buckeyes prevailed.
the Big Ten title in each of Knight’s three seasons, as well as the national championship in 1960 (Knight averaged 3.7 points as a substitute and went 0-for-1 with one personal foul in a 75-55 victory over California in the championship game).
Following graduation, he entered coaching; after taking over as head coach from Tates Locke, he was an Army assistant.
Knight had a 102–50 record as an Army coach from 1965 to 1971. After that, he relocated to Indiana, where he helped the Hoosiers win 662-239 games between 1971 and 2000. There, in 1976, 1981, and 1987, he won national titles while sporting his signature red sweater.
For fifty years, Knight competed against and typically defeated some of the most prestigious names in the game, including Adolph Rupp, Smith
and John Wooden in the early years; in the later years, Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, and Roy Williams.
Coach Tom Izzo of Michigan State stated, “He was a guy I idolized when I got here [in 1983] because Bobby Knight was the man.” “He helped me and gave me excellent treatment. I wish more people were aware of his wonderful heart. He was a different guy, but he would answer the bell if you needed assistance.
“The game has lost an icon.”
Speaking to reporters prior to his team’s game on Wednesday night, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr recalled his first meeting with the explosive coach.
“In 1986, while I was competing in the world championship, we crossed paths. He was providing commentary on television,” Kerr described. “He came to our practice after we had lost a game, pulled me aside, and basically went on a tirade. He was someone I had never met before. He said, ‘I want you to take those bleeping bleep teammates of yours and tell them to bleep bleep.’ “Yes, sir, Coach Knight,” I replied. Afterward, I approached the players and said, “Hey, Coach Knight just gave us some encouragement to play well tonight.” That concluded it. He was really scary, I won’t lie.”
In 1991, Knight was chosen and admitted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Knight had previously requested not to be renominated for the Hall of Fame, referring to the voters’ 1987 rejection of him as a “slap in the face.” the visage.
He was a complicated man with a long history of angry outbursts. He was accused of putting his hands around a player’s neck, kicking his own son, and headbutting Indiana player Sherron Wilkerson while yelling at him from the bench. He was also found guilty of hitting a policeman in Puerto Rico. (Knight insisted that he had kicked his son’s chair.)
During a 1992 NCAA West Regional practice, he also mock-whipped Black Indiana player Calbert Cheaney, which infuriated a number of Black leaders. Knight stated that the bullwhip was given to him by the players and refuted any racial overtones.
Knight, though, has never disregarded NCAA regulations. His graduation rate has always been high. A few years after moving to Lubbock, he also returned his Texas Tech salary, saying he had not earned it.
The removal of Knight by Indiana president Myles Brand, who was at the time still very popular in the state, did not sit well with Knight’s supporters.
Over the years, Indiana University administrators attempted to patch things up with Knight, but he vehemently rejected all of their efforts.
He wanted fans to get along and would not participate in any IU events.
Reunions were avoided, and he declined an invitation to the school’s 2009 athletic Hall of Fame induction on the grounds that his attendance would have distracted his fellow alums.
However, that has all changed recently.
The thaw began in 2019 when he made an unexpected appearance at a baseball game in Indiana. In July, he bought a house in Bloomington, three miles away from the basketball court.
And in February 2020, he returned to Assembly Hall for an Indiana vs. Purdue game. The whole house, including a few former players, erupted in thunderous applause for him.
Pat the son of Knight came in. Knightly embraced Isiah Thomas.