Bobby Knight, the basketball coach at Indiana University who led the Hoosiers to three NCAA titles, has passed away at the age of 83, his family said. Knight, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, passed away on Wednesday at his home in Bloomington, Indiana, according to a statement released by his family. The reason of death was not given.
“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,” his family said. “We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend.”
Knight was named “a legend among coaches” by the Basketball Hall of Fame when he was enshrined in 1991. He was a member of the 1960 NCAA champion Ohio State Buckeyes squad and went on to win three NCAA titles as coach of the Indiana Hoosiers (1971-2000).
Knight has coached on the international level as well. He was the team leader for the U.S. men’s basketball team that won gold in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Five times in his career, Knight was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and four times he won the national award.
Steve Alford, who captained Knight’s final national championship squad in 1987, once stated, “He changed basketball in this state, the way you compete, the way you win.” It all started in Indiana, but because of him collegiate basketball was forever altered. If you take a look at the motion offence, you’ll see that it’s being employed worldwide.
Bob or Bobby Knight was born Robert Knight on October 25, 1940, in Massillon, Ohio. He is one of just three coaches to have won the “triple crown,” with an NCAA title, a National Invitation Tournament title and an Olympic gold medal, the Hall of Fame noted.
Knight, who was dubbed “the General” for his fierce competitiveness, really brought it to the court. During a game versus Purdue in 1985, he notoriously hurled a chair onto the floor and was subsequently dismissed.
He was suspended for one game and put on probation for two years by the Big Ten, and Indiana chained the chairs together for both benches following the incident. In 2000, Indiana dismissed Knight for breaking the zero-tolerance policy of then-university president Myles Brand by seizing the arm of a 19-year-old student and lecturing him on proper conduct.
UPI said that in 1979, during a practice session for the U.S. basketball team at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, Knight assaulted a police officer over a dispute about the use of a gym. The outlet said that he apologized after leaving the island before his trial could begin and that Indiana officials had denied extradition petitions related to the minor offense.
Knight attempted to make light of the event during his induction ceremony for the Basketball Hall of Fame, following a presentation by his buddy and fellow Hall of Famer Pete Newell. “Pete, if the people of Puerto Rico ever ask you to hold a clinic there, would you tell them that I’m tied up?” Laughter erupted as Knight said.
Knight coached at Texas Tech from 2001 to 2008 after his time at Indiana. Before coaching at Indiana, he had done the same at Army from 1965 to 1971. When Knight departed from Texas Tech in February 2008, his son Pat took up the position.
In lieu of flowers, the Knight family has asked that contributions be made in his name to either the Alzheimer’s Association or Marian University in Indianapolis. Indiana basketball labeled Knight one of the most successful and important personalities in the history of collegiate basketball on social media.
“With unmatched accomplishment, Coach Knight’s brilliance ensures he will forever rest among the giants of college basketball,” said Indiana University President Pamela Whitten. Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb spoke hailed Knight as “a towering basketball figure and fighter, second to none.”
Knight said that coaches as a group should share in the acclaim that comes with their profession. “I’ve never felt comfortable with the award coach of the year or coach of anything,” Knight said in his Hall of Fame speech. “I think there’s a much more appropriate nomenclature that could be used, and that would be: team of the year.”
“Because for a team to develop to a point where a coach is recognized for what that team has done is an indication that the players, the assistant coaches, everyone involved has really put forth an outstanding effort,” he said. “And that is truly a team honor.”
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