Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, left, argues a call with an NCAA official during a basketball game against Texas A&M in Lubbock, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008. Knight earned his 900th career win in the 68-53 win over Texas A&M. Bob Knight, the brilliant and combustible coach who won three NCAA titles at Indiana and for years was the scowling face of college basketball has died. He was 83. Knight’s family made the announcement on social media Wednesday evening, Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight won his way, demanding perfection with a fiery approach that was as controversial as it was successful. He ushered in the era of the motion offense and used a stingy, havoc-creating defense to turn Indiana’s struggling program into a perennial national championship contender. Some comments on his legacy:
“I think Coach Knight may have influenced the game more defensively than offensively, the way he stressed our pressure defense and then I guess how it would change the game. It (the motion offense) is not as predictable because you’re reading opportunities.” — Tom Abernethy, a starter on Knight’s 1975-76 undefeated national championship team.
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“I have a thousand favorite Coach Knight stories, (and) the impact that he had on me as a teacher is something as a head coach I refer back to daily. The way he cared for people, especially after they went through his program, is something that I try to do as well. When our guys are done, I feel like it’s my responsibility to be there for them for the rest of their lives. Those are the things (I remember), outside of obviously the tactical side of the game, which Coach Knight was probably the best at.” — Dusty May, Florida Atlantic coach and former Indiana student manager, at the 2023 Final Four.
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“We wanted everything done a certain way and I knew when we played Indiana you better be prepared to execute and rebound and get back on defense.” — former Purdue coach Gene Keady about Knight, his rival and friend.
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“I can never replace Bob Knight and all the things that he’s done over the years for Indiana University basketball. I’ve said it time and time again: Indiana University basketball is Bob Knight.” — Mike Woodson, former Indiana player and current Hoosiers coach, after taking the job in 2021.
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“George (McGinnis) and I, I remember we were watching TV and West Point was playing and Coach Knight was animated and doing what he does and I told George, ‘Wherever we go, we don’t want to play for anybody like that.’” — Steve Downing, who played on Knight’s first two teams at Indiana and became a lifelong friend. McGinnis, a teammate for a state title-winning team at Washington High in Indianapolis, never played for Knight.
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“We had respect for each other. He was obviously one of the greatest coaches of all time and a dominate man in our sport. He was tough on his players, some would call it tough lov.e I didn’t play for Bob, I watched him coached. I was amazed by an incredible tactician. My memories of Bob was he was a great coach, really cared about people, was a guy who you may have heard other things about, but his players did love him.” — former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun.
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“He can be as charming as anybody in the world or he can be the biggest horse’s ass in the world. But he makes that decision, and he does it in a split second.” — Harold Andreas, a high school coach who once hired Knight as an assistant, to ESPN in 1981.
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“He’s the best coach there is … If I had to lose, I would only want to lose to him.” — former Indiana standout Steve Alford, who played for Knight and later coached at Iowa, after a 2003 Hawkeyes loss to Knight’s Texas Tech team.
