Former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight, who is a Hall of Famer and a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association champion, died at the age of 83. Knight’s family made the announcement Wednesday Nov. 1. He was hospitalized with an illness in April and had been in poor health for several years.
Knight’s passing impacted Hoosiers around the state. Some knew him from watching the basketball games on television and others were told stories of his legacy.
“Obviously, he was a legend and one of the best coaches ever,” junior varsity basketball coach Matt Obert said. “However, growing up, I saw a lot of his poor treatment of players as well, so that sticks with me as much as all the wins that he had. I was glad after the messy breakup that he had with IU, they were able to patch things up to some degree, and he came back to campus before he passed away. Despite his flaws, it was a sad day.”
According to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Knight’s success was based partly on his ability to instill quality fundamentals in his players. His motion offense demanded a firm grasp of some of the game’s most basic ideas. During his career, Knight won 11 Big Ten Conference titles, appeared in five Final Fours and a historic 32-0 undefeated season in 1976.
“I never watched him, as I wasn’t born yet when he was a coach, but his technique has greatly impacted my coaches throughout the years and [they] used it on us,” junior Mitchell Giles said.
Knight was often characterized by his uncontrollable courtside anger and the infamous chair-throwing incident in 1985 when the Hoosier hosted state-rival Purdue. Many thought that Knight was not fit for the job, as a veteran Division 1 coach should have more control over his emotions.
“He was a great coach, as he knew what he was doing,” said Northside Eye Care eye doctor Jeff Irvin. “He was really hard on his players, but that’s what made him who he was. I wasn’t that upset as he was in poor health, but [he is] in a better place now.”
Many other Hoosiers took Knight’s style and used it as a guide to help coach in terms of discipline and fundamentals around the South Gibson area. The program Practicing for the Future still uses techniques attributed to Coach Knight: fundamentals and shooting to help prepare the kids for future success in Titan basketball.
Knight first played at Ohio State under Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor. From there his success as a coach grew each year, having more winning records with each season and leading the team to championships.
After Knight’s career at IU, he went on to coach at Texas Tech and retired from basketball after the 2008-2009 season.
