NFL
By: Greg Rector
Bobby “The General” Knight passed away at age 83. Coach Bobby Knight was magnificent as a floor general however, he had issues dealing with players referees, and the media at times in his life. No one was more controversial as a head coach than Coach Knight was in his tenure. He won 902 NCAA games as a head coach which was the record when he retired from Texas Tech after the 2008 NCAA season ended.
For me, he goes down as a conflicted man who was simply tremendous as a basketball coach. Coach Knight was a key contributor to seeing the motion offense take hold in the college game.
- Pass and screen away: Players pass to one side of the court and seek to screen for players on the opposite side of the court. The hope is to create spacing and driving lanes to the basket.
- Back screen: Players in the key seek to screen players on the wing and open them up for basket cuts.
- Flare screen: A player without the ball on the perimeter seeks to set a screen (usually near the elbow area of the lane) for another player without the ball at the top of the key area.
This differs from the continuity style of the game of basketball in this manner. Instead of relying on set plays, Knight’s offense is designed to react to the defense. His motion emphasized post players setting screens and perimeter players passing the ball until a teammate becomes open for an uncontested lay-up or jump shot. Players are required to be unselfish and disciplined and must be effective in setting and using screens to get open.
His 1976 Indiana Hoosiers team is the last team to ever go unbeaten in an NCAA season. He was loved by his Hoosiers, especially by freshman Isiah Thomas his point guard on the 1981 NCAA championship team.
If you weren’t alive when Coach Bobby Knight was coaching the Indiana Hoosiers and believed Cameron Indoor Arena under Coach Mike Krzyzewski was a tough place to get a win go back and watch Knight’s Hoosiers and from 1971 until he left Indiana University in the year 2000 you would be hard pressed a tougher road win in college basketball than trying to beat Coach Bobby Knight at Assembly Hall. I refuse to use the current name attached to Assembly Hall.
Bobby Knight Career
After graduating from Ohio State University Coach Knight in 1962 after being a reserve player on the 1960 National Championship Team and playing again in the 1961 Final Four where the Buckeyes would lose to Cincinnati Bearcats, Knight enlisted in the U.S. Army and unlike most college graduates he wasn’t made an officer he was private first class from 1963 until June of 1965. He accepted an assistant coaching position and at age 24 was named the head coach of the Army Black Knights. This is where he met and coached Mike Krzyzewski. His favorite player he ever coached was Mike Sillman. “Mike Silliman is the best player I have ever coached.” I heard Coach Knight say that time and again.
His explosive temper first came to light during the 1966 NIT Tournament when his Black Knights lost to BYU in the semi-finals. Coach Bobby Knight kicked lockers and was verbally abusive to his least favorite people in the game of basketball who of course were the referees.
He apologized to Hall of Fame head coach of BYU Stan Watts and Watts told Coach Bobby Knight “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.”
In 1968 Coach Knight was a candidate to take over the Wisconsin Badgers. Long before the internet, the rumor mill had started that he would be made the next Badgers head coach and he consulted with Michigan head football coach Bo Schembechler who had gone through the same type of instance the previous year with Wisconsin and he ended up withdrawing his name.
Indiana Hoosiers
In 1971 Coach Bobby Knight came to Indiana University. In his 29 seasons as the head coach, Knight won 662 games with over 20 wins in 22 of those seasons. His Hoosiers would only lose 239 games so his winning percentage was a very remarkable .735
During his second season at Indiana Coach Bobby Knight led the Hoosiers into the NCAA final four game against Coach John Wooden and his all-powerful UCLA Bruins. After that season Coach Bobby Knight led his Indiana Hoosiers to two straight seasons of being undefeated in the Big Ten winning 37 straight conference games while also being undefeated in both regular seasons. In the Big Ten during the 1974-1975 season, Coach Bobby Knight lost Scott May and the Hoosiers were unable to get past the Mideast Regional game. Four of his five starters were named All-Big Ten team.
The next season though was where I learned about how tough a head coach Bobby Knight was. He led the Indiana Hoosiers to being the last NCAA Championship-winning team to go unbeaten. Immediately after the game, Knight lamented that “it should have been two.” I will never forget seeing Coach Bobby Knight on the sidelines ready to praise or scold his Hoosiers as need be.
He would win two more NCAA Tournaments as the head coach at Indiana in 1981 and 1987.
Dismissal From Indiana
In 1997 former Hoosier player Neil Reed accused Coach Bobby Knight of choking him. This came to light in a Sports Illustrated article just before the 2000 NCAA Tournament. ] 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.
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, Coach Bobby 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.”
Indiana University President Myles Brand fired Coach Bobby Knight on September 10th and thousands of Hoosier students marched from Assembly Hall to President Brand’s house where they burned the President in effigy. Knight returned to Assembly Hall at halftime of Indiana’s game against Purdue on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, and received a rousing standing ovation. This was three years after being interviewed by Dan Patrick who reminded Coach Bobby that most of the administration was no longer affiliated with the university to which Coach Bobby Knight in a very serious tone said “I hope they’re all dead.”
When you messed with Coach Bobby Knight you were bound to feel his wrath and it was damn serious in the eyes of Coach Bobby Knight.
Texas Tech
In 2001 Coach Bobby Knight returned to coaching as he took over a Red Raiders program and led them into the NCAA Tournament three times and went one NIT Tournament. He retired after the 2008 season. He continued to live in Lubbock Texas but at the time of his death, Coach Bobby Knight died in his beloved adopted hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.
Coach Bobby Knight’s Coaching Tree
Of course, former Duke head coach Coach Mike Krzyzewski is the most famous member of his coaching tree. Steve Alford is his second most famous NCAA coach. Isiah Thomas Randy Wittman Mike Woodson Keith Smart all became head coaches in the NBA.
For me, I will leave the controversial aspect of his coaching career to others to moan on and on about. In my time watching basketball Coach Bobby Knight was magnificent as an Xs and Os coach and while his hard-nosed style put off players towards the end of his tenure at Indiana University I will remember him for being the head coach of Team USA at the 1984 Olympics where he led the USA to a gold medal.
Farewell Coach Bobby Knight
