 Knight watchesTexas Tech practice in 2007 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-10-25)October 25, 1940 Massillon, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 2023(2023-11-01) (aged 83) Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1959–1962 | Ohio State |
| Position | Forward |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962–1963 | Cuyahoga Falls HS (assistant) |
| 1963–1965 | Army (assistant) |
| 1965–1971 | Army |
| 1971–2000 | Indiana |
| 2001–2008 | Texas Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 902–371 (.709) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| As player: As head coach:
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1991 | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Robert Montgomery Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men'scollege basketballcoach. Nicknamed "the General", he won 902NCAA Division I men's basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement and sixth all-time record at the time of his death.[1]
Knight was the head coach of theArmy Black Knights (1965–1971), theIndiana Hoosiers (1971–2000), and theTexas Tech Red Raiders (2001–2008).[2] While at Army, he led the Black Knights to four post-season tournament appearances in six seasons, winning two-thirds of his games along the way. After taking the job at Indiana, his teams won threeNCAA championships, oneNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship, and 11Big Ten Conference championships.[3] His1975–76 team won the1976 NCAA tournament, and, as of 2024–25, remain the last men's team in Division I college basketball to go undefeated during an entire season (32–0). In the seven full seasons that he coached at Texas Tech, his teams qualified for a post-season tournament five times. He retired partway through the 2007–08 season and was replaced by his sonPat Knight at Texas Tech.[4] He later worked as a men's college basketball studio analyst at ESPN until 2015.[5][6]
Knight sparked controversy with his outspoken nature and his volatility. He once threw a chair across the court during a game and was once arrested following a physical confrontation with a police officer.[7] He was accused of choking an Indiana player during practice in an incident that was recorded on video,[8][9] prompting the university to institute a "zero tolerance" policy for him. Following a subsequent run-in with a student, Indiana University terminated his contract in the fall of 2000.[10]
Knight was one of college basketball's most successful and innovative coaches, having popularized themotion offense. He received national coach of the year honors four times andBig Ten Coach of the Year honors eight times. He was also successful on the international stage, winning gold medals at both the1979 Pan American Games and the1984 Summer Olympics with theU.S. men's national team. He is one of only three basketball coaches to win anNCAA title, an NIT title, and an Olympic gold medal. He was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
Knight was born on October 25, 1940, in the town ofMassillon, Ohio, and grew up inOrrville, Ohio.[8] His father Pat worked for the railroad and his mother Hazel was a school teacher.[11] He began playing organized basketball atOrrville High School.[3]
Knight continued atOhio State in 1958 when he played forBasketball Hall of Fame coachFred Taylor.[12][13] Despite being a star player in high school, he played a reserve role as a forward on the1960 Ohio State Buckeyes team that won the NCAA championship and featured future Hall of Fame playersJohn Havlicek andJerry Lucas.[14] Knight was also a member of the 1961 and 1962 Buckeyes teams that lost in the finals to theCincinnati Bearcats.[15]
Due in part to the star power of those Ohio State teams, Knight usually received scant playing time, but that did not prevent him from making an impact. In the1961 NCAA championship game, Knight came off the bench with 1:41 on the clock and Cincinnati leading Ohio State, 61–59.[16] In the words of then–Ohio State assistant coachFrank Truitt:
Knight got the ball in the left front court and faked a drive into the middle. Then [he] crossed over like he worked on it all his life and drove right in and laid it up. That tied the game for us, and Knight ran clear across the floor like a 100-yard dash sprinter and ran right at me and said, "See there, coach, I should have been in that game a long time ago!"[17]
To which Truitt replied, "Sit down, you hot dog. You're lucky you're even on the floor."[18]
In addition to lettering in basketball at Ohio State, it has been claimed that Knight alsolettered in football and baseball;[19] however, the official list of Ohio State football letter earners does not include Knight.[20] Knight graduated with a degree in history and government in 1962.[21]
After graduating from Ohio State University in 1962, he coached junior varsity basketball atCuyahoga Falls High School in Ohio for one year.[22] Knight then enlisted in theU.S. Army and served on active duty from June 1963 to June 1965 and in theU.S. Army Reserves from June 1965 to May 1969.[23] He conducted initial training atFort Leonard Wood, Missouri and was transferred toWest Point, New York, in September 1963.[23] He became a private first class.[23]
While in the army, he accepted an assistant coaching position with theArmy Black Knights in 1963, where, two years later, he was named head coach at the relatively young age of 24.[24] In six seasons as a head coach at West Point, Knight won 102 games, with his first coming againstWorcester Polytechnic Institute.[25] He led Army to fourNITs, advancing to the semifinals three times.[26] One of his players wasMike Krzyzewski, who later served as his assistant before becoming a Hall of Fame head coach atDuke.[27]Mike Silliman was another of Knight's players at Army, and Knight was quoted as saying that Silliman was the best player that he had coached.[28]
During his tenure at Army, Knight gained a reputation for having an explosive temper.[29] After Army's 66–60 loss toBYU and Hall of Fame coachStan Watts in the semifinals of the1966 NIT, Knight completely lost control, kicking lockers and verbally blasting the officials.[30] Embarrassed, he later went to Watts' hotel room and apologized. Watts forgave him, and is quoted as saying, "I want you to know that you're going to be one of the bright young coaches in the country, and it's just a matter of time before you win a national championship."[31]
Knight was one of seven candidates vying to fill theWisconsin men's basketball head coaching vacancy afterJohn Erickson resigned to become theMilwaukee Bucks' first-ever general manager on April 3, 1968.[32] Knight was offered the position but requested more time to think it over. By the time he had returned to West Point, news that he was to become the Badgers' new coach was prematurely leaked to the local media.[32] After consulting withBo Schembechler, who had also had a negative experience as aWisconsin football coaching candidate the previous year, Knight withdrew his candidacy and continued to coach at Army for three more seasons. Erickson's assistant coachJohn Powless was promoted instead.[33][34]
In 1971,Indiana University Bloomington hired Knight as head coach.[35] During his 29 years at the school, theHoosiers won 662 games, including 22 seasons of 20 or more wins, while losing 239, a .735 winning percentage.[36] In 24 NCAA tournament appearances at Indiana, Hoosier teams under Knight won 42 of 63 games (.667), winning titles in1976,1981, and1987, while losing in the semifinals in 1973 and 1992.[37]
In1972–73, Knight's second year as coach, Indiana won the Big Ten championship and reached the Final Four, losing toUCLA, which was on its way to its seventh consecutive national title.[38] The following season, in1973–74, Indiana once again captured a Big Ten title.[39]
In the two following seasons,1974–75 and1975–76, the Hoosiers were undefeated in the regular season and won 37 consecutive Big Ten games, including two more Big Ten championships.[40] In1974–75, the Hoosiers swept the entire Big Ten by an average of 22.8 points per game. However, in an 83–82 win againstPurdue they lost consensusAll-American forwardScott May to a broken left arm.[41] With May's injury limiting him to seven minutes of play, the No. 1 Hoosiers lost toKentucky 92–90 in theMideast Regional.[42] Despite the loss, the Hoosiers were so dominant that four starters—Scott May,Steve Green,Kent Benson, andQuinn Buckner—would make the five-man All-Big Ten team.[40]
The following season, in1975–76, the Hoosiers went the entire season and1976 NCAA tournament without a single loss, defeatingMichigan 86–68 in the title game.[43] Immediately after the game, Knight lamented that "it should have been two." The 1976 Hoosiers remain the last undefeated NCAA Division I men's basketball team.[44][45] Through these two seasons, Knight's teams were undefeated in the regular season, including a perfect 37–0 record in Big Ten games on their way to their third and fourth conference titles in a row.[40] Behind the play ofMike Woodson, Indiana won the1979 NIT championship.[46]
Throughout the 1970s, however, Knight was beginning to be involved in several controversies.[47] 1960 Olympic gold medalistDouglas Blubaugh was head wrestling coach at IU from 1973 to 1984. Early in his tenure while he jogged in the practice facility during basketball practice, Knight yelled at him to leave, using more than one expletive. Blubaugh pinned Knight to a wall, and told him never to repeat the performance, and Knight never did.[48]
On December 7, 1974, Indiana defeated Kentucky 98–74. Near the end of the game, Knight went to the Kentucky bench where the official was standing to complain about a call. Before he left, Knight hit Kentucky coachJoe B. Hall in the back of the head.[49] Kentucky assistant coach Lynn Nance, a formerFBI agent, had to be restrained by Hall from hitting Knight. Hall later said, "It publicly humiliated me."[50] Knight blamed the furor on Hall, stating, "If it was meant to be malicious, I'd have blasted the fucker into the seats."[51]
Years after the incident, it was reported that Knight choked and punched Indiana University's longtime sports information director, Kit Klingelhoffer, over a news release that upset the coach.[47] In 1976, Knight grabbed IU basketball player Jim Wisman and jerked him into his seat.[47]
The1979–80 Hoosiers, led byMike Woodson andIsiah Thomas, won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the1980 Sweet Sixteen.[52] The following season, in1980–81, Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the1981 NCAA tournament, Knight's second national title.[53]
In1982–83, with the strong play ofUwe Blab and All-AmericansTed Kitchel andRandy Wittman, the No. 1 ranked Hoosiers were favorites to win another national championship.[54] However, with an injury to Kitchel mid-season,[52] the Hoosiers lost to Kentucky in the1983 Sweet Sixteen.[55]
The Hoosiers'1985–86 season was profiled in a bestselling bookA Season on the Brink.[56] To write it, Knight granted authorJohn Feinstein almost unprecedented access to the Indiana basketball program, as well as insights into Knight's private life.[57] The following season, in1986–87, the Hoosiers were led by All-AmericanSteve Alford and captured a share of the Big Ten title.[58] The team won Knight's third national championship (the school's fifth) againstSyracuse in the1987 NCAA tournament with a game-winning jump shot byKeith Smart with five seconds remaining in the championship game.[59]
In the1988–89 season, the Hoosiers were led by All-AmericanJay Edwards and won a Big Ten championship.[60]
Knight was involved in several controversies in the 1980s as well. In a game between Indiana and Purdue in Bloomington on January 31, 1981, Isiah Thomas allegedly hit Purdue guardRoosevelt Barnes in what some critics described as a "sucker punch".[61] Video replay later shown by Knight showed Barnes had thrown the first punch, and that Thomas was merely reacting to this.
When the two schools played their second game of the season at Purdue on February 7, 1981, Knight claimed a number of derisive chants were directed at him, his wife, and Indiana University. In response, Knight invited Purdue athletic director George King on his weekly television show to discuss the matter, but King declined. Therefore, in place of King, Knight brought onto the show a "jackass" (male donkey) wearing a Purdue hat as a representative of Purdue.[62][63]
On February 23, 1985, during a Purdue–Indiana game in Bloomington, five minutes into the game a scramble for a loose ball resulted in a foul call on Indiana's Marty Simmons. Immediately after the resumption of play, a foul was called on Indiana's Daryl Thomas. Knight, irate, insisted the first of the two calls should have been for ajump ball and ultimately received atechnical foul. Purdue's Steve Reid stepped to thefree throw line to shoot the resulting free throws, but before he could, Knight grabbed a red plastic chair from Indiana's bench and threw it across the floor toward the basket in front of Reid. Knight was charged with a second and third technical foul and was ejected from the game.
He apologized for his actions the next day and was given a one-game suspension and two years' probation from theBig Ten. In later years, Knight would occasionally joke about the chair-throwing incident by saying that he saw an old lady standing on the opposite sideline and threw her the chair so she could sit down.[64][65]
Former Indiana basketball playerTodd Jadlow has written a book alleging that from 1985 to 1989, Knight punched him in the face, broke a clipboard over the top of his head, and squeezed his testicles and the testicles of other Hoosiers, among other abuses.[66]
In an April 1988 interview withConnie Chung, when discussing an Indiana basketball game in which he felt the referees were making poor calls against the Hoosiers, Knight said, "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it." In response, women's groups nationwide were outraged by Knight's comments.[67]
From1990–91 through1992–93, the Hoosiers posted 87 victories, the most by any Big Ten team in a three-year span, breaking the mark of 86 set by Knight's Indiana teams of 1974–76.[54] They captured two Big Ten crowns in 1990–91 and 1992–93, and during the1991–92 season reached theFinal Four.[68] During the 1992–93 season, the 31–4 Hoosiers finished the season at the top of theAP Poll, but were defeated byKansas in theElite Eight.[39] Players from the team in this era includedGreg Graham,Pat Knight, All-AmericansDamon Bailey andAlan Henderson, Brian Evans, and National Player of the YearCalbert Cheaney.[68][69]
Throughout the mid and late 1990s Knight continued to experience success with continual NCAA tournament appearances and a minimum of 19 wins each season.[70] However, 1993 would be Knight's last conference championship and 1994 would be his last trip to the Sweet Sixteen.[54][71]
Throughout the 1990s Knight was yet again involved in several controversies:
On March 14, 2000, (just before Indiana was to begin play in the NCAA tournament), theCNN Sports Illustrated network ran a piece onRobert Abbott's investigation of Knight in which former playerNeil Reed claimed he had been choked by Knight during a practice in 1997.[80] Knight denied the claims in the story. However, less than a month later, the network aired a tape of an Indiana practice from 1997 that appeared to show Knight placing his hand on the neck of Reed.[9]
In response, Indiana University presidentMyles Brand announced that he had adopted a "zero tolerance" policy with regard to Knight's behavior.[81] Later in the year, in September 2000, Indiana freshman Kent Harvey (not a basketball player) reportedly said, "Hey, Knight, what's up?" to Knight. According to Harvey, Knight then grabbed him by the arm and lectured him for not showing him respect, insisting that Harvey address him as either "Mr. Knight" or "Coach Knight" instead of simply "Knight."[9] Brand stated that this incident was only one of numerous complaints that occurred after the zero-tolerance policy had been put into place. Brand asked Knight to resign on September 10, and when Knight refused, Brandrelieved him of his coaching duties effective immediately. Knight's dismissal was met with outrage from students. That night, thousands of Indiana students marched from Indiana University's Assembly Hall to Brand's home, burning Brand ineffigy.[9]
Harvey was supported by some and vilified by many who claim he had intentionally set up Knight. Kent Harvey's stepfather, Mark Shaw, was a formerBloomington-area radio talk show host and Knight critic.[82] On September 13, Knight said goodbye to a crowd of some 6,000 supporters in Dunn Meadow at Indiana University.[83] He asked that they not hold a grudge against Harvey and that they continue to support the basketball team.[84] Knight's firing made national headlines, including the cover ofSports Illustrated and around-the-clock coverage onESPN, as well as mentions onCNN andCBS.[85]
Two days after Knight's dismissal,Jeremy Schaap of ESPN interviewed him and discussed his time at Indiana. Towards the end of the interview, Knight talked about his son, Pat, who had also been dismissed by the university, wanting an opportunity to be a head coach. Schaap, thinking that Knight was finished, attempted to move on to another subject, but Knight insisted on continuing about his son. Schaap repeatedly tried to ask another question when Knight shifted the conversation to Schaap's style of interviewing, notably chastising him about interruptions. Knight then commented (referring to Schaap's father,Dick Schaap), "You've got a long way to go to be as good as your dad."[86]
In a March 2017 interview onThe Dan Patrick Show, Knight stated that he had no interest in ever returning to Indiana.[35] When hostDan Patrick commented that most of the administration that had fired Knight seventeen years earlier were no longer there, Knight said, "I hope they're all dead."[87]
Knight ultimately returned to Assembly Hall at halftime of Indiana's game againstPurdue on February 8, 2020, and received a rousing standing ovation.[88] It was the first Indiana game attended by Knight since his dismissal by the school 20 years prior.[89]
Following his dismissal from Indiana, Knight took a season off while on the lookout for coaching vacancies.[90] He accepted the head coaching position atTexas Tech University, although his hiring was opposed by a faculty group led by Walter Schaller, associate professor of philosophy.[91] When he was introduced at the press conference, Knight quipped, "This is without question the most comfortable red sweater I've had on in six years."[92]
Knight quickly improved the program, which had not been to an NCAA tournament since 1996.[85] He led theRed Raiders to postseason appearances in each of his first four years at the school (three NCAA Championship tournaments and one NIT).[85] After a rough 2006 season, the team improved in 2007, finishing 21–13 and again making it to the NCAA tournament, where it lost toBoston College in the first round.[93] The best performance by the Red Raiders under Knight came in 2005 when they advanced as far as theSweet Sixteen.[94] In both 2006 and 2007 under Knight, Texas Tech defeated two Top 10-ranked teams in consecutive weeks. During Knight's first six years at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders won 126 games.[58]
During Knight's coaching at Texas Tech, Knight was also involved in several controversies. In March 2006, a student's heckling atBaylor University resulted in Knight having to be restrained by a police officer. The incident was not severe enough to warrant any action from theBig 12 Conference.[95]
On November 13, 2006, Knight was shown allegedly hitting player Michael Prince under the chin to get him to make eye contact. Although Knight did not comment on the incident afterwards, Prince, his parents, and Texas Tech athletic directorGerald Myers insisted that Knight did nothing wrong and that he merely lifted Prince's chin and told him, "Hold your head up and don't worry about mistakes. Just play the game." Prince commented, "He was trying to teach me and I had my head down so he raised my chin up. He was telling me to go out there and don't be afraid to make mistakes. He said I was being too hard on myself." ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla defended Knight by saying "That's coaching!"[96]
On October 21, 2007, James Simpson ofLubbock, Texas, accused Knight of firing a shotgun in his direction after he yelled at Knight and another man for hunting too close to his home.[97] Knight denied the allegations; however, an argument between the two men was recorded via camera phone and aired later on television.[98]
Knight won his 900th game in his coaching career on January 16, 2008, in a 68–58 win againstTexas A&M, but not before arguing with referees during the match.[99][100]
On February 4, 2008, Knight announced his retirement.[101] His sonPat Knight, the head coach designate since 2005, was immediately named as his successor at Texas Tech.[102] The younger Knight had said that after many years of coaching, his father was exhausted and ready to retire.[103] Just after achieving his 900th win, Knight handed the job over to Pat in the mid-season in part to allow him to get acquainted with coaching the team earlier, instead of having him wait until October, the start of the next season.[104] Knight continued to live inLubbock after he retired.[105]
In 1978, Knight was named the head coach of theUnited States men's national team for the1979 Pan American Games inSan Juan, Puerto Rico.[106] The team, which included players such asIsiah Thomas andRalph Sampson, trained together for more than 50 days and played in a tournament in Italy before arriving in Puerto Rico. During the games, Knight led the United States to a 9–0 record, with an average victory of 21.2 points, and gold medal.[107][3]
However, his behaviour during the games, where he feuded with referees, officials and made critical comments about Puerto Rico, was heavily criticized,[108][109] including by the president of the Basketball Federation of Puerto Rico, Arturo C. Gallardo, in a lengthy article in theNew York Times.[110] During the first game, with the United States leading by 35 points, he was ejected for arguing with referees and in another incident during a practice session, Knight was accused of assaulting the policeman guarding the gymnasium and was arrested.[7] Both Knight and assistant coachMike Krzyzewski refuted the policeman's version of the incident, with Krzyzewski stating "It's really unbelievable, the out-and-out lies that are being told. It's like my standing here and saying that my name is not Mike Krzyzewski, that it's Fred Taylor."[107] Knight was later charged with assault and summoned to appear before a judge but left the island before trial was held and refused to return with Indiana officials further rejecting Puerto Rican's extradition requests. He was later tried in absentia, found guilty and sentenced to a six-month prison term and a 500 dollar fine. Following aUnited States Supreme Court ruling in 1987 that overturned a law which gave state governors the power to reject extradition requests and opened up the possibility of his extradition to Puerto Rico, Knight wrote a letter to thePuerto Rico Olympic Committee,Germán Rieckehoff, apologizing for the incident. Rieckehoff "urged the Commonwealth not to consider any further legal action against Knight".[111]
Despite the controversies, Knight was selected in 1982 to coach theU.S. national team at the1984 Summer Olympic Games.[112][113][114][115] He held a 72 player tryout camp in April 1984 before settling on the 12 man roster which includedMichael Jordan,Patrick Ewing,Chris Mullin and Knight's Indiana player and protégéSteve Alford.[116][117][118]
Worries that his behavior would again cause embarrassment during the games turned out to be unfounded and, despite rants and raves at officials, Knight was considered to be on his best behavior.[119] He led the United States to victory in all eight games and to a gold medal.[120][121] Doing so, Knight joinedPete Newell andDean Smith as the only three coaches to win an NCAA title, NIT title, and Olympic gold.[122][123]
In 2008, ESPN hired Knight as a studio analyst and occasionalcolor commentator.[124] In November 2012, he called an Indiana men's basketball game for the first time, something he had previously refused to do.[125] Then-men's basketball coachTom Crean reached out to Knight in an attempt to get him to visit the school again.[126] On April 2, 2015, ESPN announced that it would not renew its contract with Knight.[127]
On February 27, 2019, Don Fischer, an IU radio announcer since 1974, said during an interview that Knight was in ill health. He continued by saying Knight's health "has declined" but did not offer any specifics.[128]
On April 4, 2019, Knight made his first public appearance after Fischer made his comments. He appeared with longtime friend and journalist Bob Hammel and spoke about different aspects of his career. During the presentation, Knight seemed to struggle with his memory: he re-introduced his wife to the audience after doing so only 10 minutes earlier, he mistakenly said that former IU basketball playerLandon Turner had died, and, after telling a story aboutMichael Jordan, he later told the same story, replacing Jordan with former IU basketball playerDamon Bailey.[129]
Knight and his wife resided in Lubbock, Texas, even after his retirement.[130] On July 10, 2019, theIndiana Daily Student, IU's campus newspaper, reported that Knight and his wife had purchased a home in Bloomington for $572,500, suggesting that Knight had decided to return to Bloomington to live.[131]
Knight was an innovator of themotion offense, which he perfected and popularized.[132] The system emphasizes post players settingscreens and perimeter players passing the ball until a teammate becomes open for an uncontestedjump shot orlay-up. This required players to be unselfish, disciplined, and effective in setting and using screens to get open.
Knight's motion offense did not take shape until he began coaching at Indiana. Prior to that, at Army, he ran a "reverse action" offense that involved reversing the ball from one side of the floor to the other and screening along with it.[132] According to Knight, it was a "West Coast offense" thatPete Newell used exclusively during his coaching career.[26] After being exposed to thePrinceton offense, Knight instilled more cutting with the offense he employed, which evolved into the motion offense that he ran for most of his career.[132] Knight continued to develop the offense, instituting different cuts over the years and putting his players in different scenarios.[133]
Knight was well known for the extreme preparation he put into each game and practice. He was often quoted as saying, "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win."[134] Often during practice, Knight would instruct his players to a certain spot on the floor and give them options of what to do based on how the defense might react.[132] In contrast to set plays, Knight's offense was designed to react according to the defense.[132]
Thethree-point shot was adopted by the NCAA in 1986, which was midway through Knight's coaching career. Although he opposed the rule change throughout his life, it did complement his offense well by improving the spacing on the floor.[132] He sardonically said at the time that he supported institution of the three-point shot because if a team's offense was functioning efficiently enough to get a layup, the team should be rewarded with three points for that basket. Knight's offense also emphasized a two-count.[132] Players in the post are expected to try to post in the paint for two seconds and if they do not receive the ball they go set a screen. Players with the ball are expected to hold the ball for two seconds to see where they are going to take it. Screens are supposed to be held for two seconds, as well.[132]
On defense Knight was known for emphasizing tenacious "man-to-man" defense where defenders contest every pass and every shot, and help teammates when needed. However, Knight also incorporated azone defense periodically after eschewing it for the first two decades of his coaching career.[135]
Knight's coaching also included a firm emphasis on academics. All but four of his four-year players completed their degrees, or nearly 98 percent. Nearly 80 percent of his players graduated; this figure was much higher than the national average of 42 percent for Division 1 schools.[136]
Knight's all time coaching record is 902–371.[137] His 902 wins inNCAA Division I men's college basketball games is fourth all-time to Knight's former player and former Duke head coachMike Krzyzewski, Syracuse head coachJim Boeheim, and North Carolina head CoachRoy Williams.[14] Knight achieved his 880th career win on January 1, 2007, and passed retired North Carolina coachDean Smith for most career victories, a title he held until his win total was surpassed by Krzyzewski on November 15, 2011.[14][138] It was later surpassed by Boeheim on January 2, 2013,[139] and by Williams on March 11, 2021.[140][141] Knight is the youngest coach to reach 200, 300, and 400 wins, as well as among the youngest to reach other milestones of 500, 600, 700, and 800 wins.[142]
Texas Tech's participation in the2007 NCAA tournament gave Knight more NCAA tournament appearances than any other coach.[143] He is the only coach to win the NCAA, the NIT, an Olympic gold medal, and aPan American Games Gold medal.[143] Knight is also one of only three people, along with Smith andJoe B. Hall, who have both played on and coached an NCAA Tournament championship basketball team.[14]
Knight received a number of personal honors during and after his coaching career. He was named the National Coach of the Year four times (1975, 1976, 1987, 1989)[144] andBig Ten Coach of the Year eight times (1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1992, 1993).[54] In 1975 he was a unanimous selection as National Coach of the Year, an honor he was accorded again in 1976 bythe Associated Press.[3] In 1987 he was the first person to be honored with theNaismith Coach of the Year Award.[54] In 1989 he garnered National Coach of the Year honors by the AP,UPI, and the United States Basketball Writers Association.[145] Knight was inducted into theBasketball Hall of Fame in 1991.[146][14]
On November 17, 2006, Knight was recognized for his impact on college basketball as a member of the founding class of theNational Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[94] The following year, he was the recipient of theNaismith Award for Men's Outstanding Contribution to Basketball.[147] Knight was also inducted into theArmy Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)[148] and theIndiana Hoosiers athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2009).[85] In August 2003, he was honored as the first inductee in TheVince Lombardi Titletown Legends.[149]
Three banners were hung atSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall as a result of the three national championship wins led by Knight.[150][151]
A number of Knight's assistant coaches, players, and managers have gone on to be coaches. In the college ranks, this includes Hall of Fame Duke coachMike Krzyzewski,Steve Alford,Murry Bartow,Dan Dakich,Bob Donewald,Marty Simmons,Jim Crews,Chris Beard,Matt Bowen andDusty May.[152] Among NBA coaches, they includeRandy Wittman,Mike Woodson,Keith Smart,Isiah Thomas, andLawrence Frank.[153][154]
In 1986, authorJohn Feinstein publishedA Season on the Brink, which detailed the1985–86 season of theIndiana Hoosiers. Granted almost unprecedented access to the Indiana basketball program, as well as insights into Knight's private life, the book quickly became a major bestseller and spawned a new genre, as a legion of imitators wrote works covering a single year of a sports franchise. In the book Feinstein depicts a coach who is quick with a violent temper, but also one who never cheats and strictly follows all of the NCAA's rules.[56]
Two years later, authorJoan Mellen penned the bookBob Knight: His Own Man (ISBN 0-380-70809-4), in part to rebut Feinstein'sA Season on the Brink. Mellen deals with seemingly all the causes celebres in Knight's career and presents the view that he is more sinned against than sinning.[155]
In 1990, Robert P. Sulek wroteHoosier Honor: Bob Knight and Academic Success at Indiana University which discusses the academic side of the basketball program. The book details all of the players that have played for Knight and what degree they earned.[156]
A number of close associates and friends of Knight have also written books about him. Former player and currentNevada Wolf Pack head basketball coachSteve Alford wrotePlaying for Knight: My Six Seasons with Bobby Knight, published in 1990.[157] Former playerKirk Haston wroteDays of Knight: How the General Changed My Life, published in 2016.[158]
Knight's autobiography, written with longtime friend and sports journalist Bob Hammel, was titledKnight: My Story and published in 2003.[159] Three years later Steve Delsohn and Mark Heisler wroteBob Knight: An Unauthorized Biography.[160]
In 2013, Knight and Bob Hammel publishedThe Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach to Achieving Positive Results.[161] Knight discussed his approach to preparing for a game by anticipating all of the things that could go wrong and trying to prevent it or having a plan to deal with it. In the book Knight also shared one of his favorite sayings, "Victory favors the team making the fewest mistakes."[162]
In 2017, sports reporter Terry Hutchens publishedFollowing the General: Why Three Coaches Have Been Unable to Return Indiana Basketball to Greatness which discussed Knight's coaching legacy with Indiana and how none of the coaches following him have been able to reach his level of success.[163]
Knight appeared or was featured in numerous films and television productions. In 1994 a feature film titledBlue Chips featured a character named Pete Bell, a volatile but honest college basketball coach under pressure to win who decides to blatantly violate NCAA rules to field a competitive team after a sub-par season.[164] It starredNick Nolte as Bell and NBA starShaquille O'Neal as Neon Bodeaux, a once-in-a-lifetime player that boosters woo to his school with gifts and other perks.[164] The coach's temper and wardrobe were modeled after Knight's, though at no time had Knight been known to illegally recruit.[165] Knight himself appears in the film and coaches against Nolte in the film's climactic game.[165]
ESPN's first feature-length film wasA Season on the Brink, a 2002 TV adaptation from John Feinstein's book.[166] In the film Knight is played byBrian Dennehy.[167] ESPN also featured Knight in a reality show titledKnight School, which followed a handful of Texas Tech students as they competed for the right to join the basketball team as a non-scholarship player.[168]
Knight made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2003 filmAnger Management.[169] In 2008, Knight appeared in a commercial as part ofVolkswagen's Das Auto series where Max, a 1964 blackBeetle, interviews famous people. When Knight talked about Volkswagen winning the best resale value award in 2008, Max replied, "At least one of us is winning a title this year." This prompted Knight to throw his chair off the stage and walk out saying, "I may not be retired."[170]
Knight also made an appearance in a TV commercial forGuitar Hero: Metallica andRisky Business with fellow coachesMike Krzyzewski,Rick Pitino, andRoy Williams.[171]
In 2009, Knight produced three instructional coaching DVD libraries—on motion offense, man-to-man defense, and instilling mental toughness—with Championship Productions.[172]
Knight married the former Nancy Falk[173] on April 17, 1963. They had two sons, Tim andPat.[174] The couple divorced in 1985.[3] Pat played at Indiana from 1991 to 1995 and was head coach atLamar from the time of his father's retirement until he was dismissed in 2014.[175][176] Pat Knight coached Texas Tech after his father's retirement before he moved to Lamar.[175] In 1988, Knight married his second wife, Karen Vieth Edgar, a former Oklahoma high school basketball coach.[177][178]
Knight had a high regard for education and made generous donations to the schools he was a part of, particularly libraries. AtIndiana University Knight endowed two chairs, one in history and one in law.[179] He also raised nearly $5 million for the Indiana University library system by championing a library fund to support the library's activities. The fund was ultimately named in his honor.[180]
When Knight came to Texas Tech in 2001, he gave $10,000 to the library, while his wife gave $25,000, donations which included the first gifts to the Coach Knight Library Fund which has now collected over $300,000.[181][182] Later, in 2005, Knight donated an additional $40,000 to the library.[183] On November 29, 2007, the Texas Tech library honored this withA Legacy of Giving: The Bob Knight Exhibit.[184]
On April 18, 2011, video surfaced showing Knight responding to a question concerningJohn Calipari and Kentucky's men's basketball team by stating that inthe previous season, Kentucky made an Elite Eight appearance with "five players who had not attended a single class that semester." These claims were later disproven by the university and the players in question, includingPatrick Patterson, who graduated in three years, andJohn Wall, who finished the semester with a 3.5 GPA.[185] Knight later apologized for his comments stating, "My overall point is that 'one-and-dones' are not healthy for college basketball. I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize."[186]
Knight supportedDonald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and later made an appearance at his rally in Indianapolis for the2018 midterms. At the rally, Knight called Trump "a great defender of the United States of America".[187][188]
Knight died inBloomington, Indiana, on November 1, 2023, at age 83 and his remains were cremated and buried in Orrville, Ohio.[189]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959–60 | Ohio State | 21 | .405 | .630 | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| 1960–61 | Ohio State | 28 | .397 | .577 | 2.8 | 4.4 |
| 1961–62 | Ohio State | 25 | .393 | .818 | 1.5 | 3.2 |
| Career | 74 | .398 | .641 | 2.1 | 3.8 | |
| Source:[190] | ||||||
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