Highlights
- Bobby Knight, who led Indiana University to three NCAA National Championships, has died at 83 years old.
- Knight had a successful coaching career, including a stint at Army where he won 104 games in six seasons.
- Over his 29-year tenure at Indiana, Knight had a winning percentage of .735 and led the Hoosiers to 662 wins.
Legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight has died at 83 years old, his family announced on Wednesday. Knight last coached with Texas Tech University in 2008, and is best known for his long stint at the head of Indiana University between 1971 and 2000, during which he led the Hoosiers to three NCAA National Championships and the last unbeaten season in men's Division 1 college basketball in 1976.
"It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family. 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. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend."
Knight, born in Orrville, Ohio in 1940, attended Ohio State University and played on the basketball team under Hall of Fame head coach Fred Taylor. Knight appeared as a backup behind future NBA superstars John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas as the Buckeyes sailed to the 1960 National Championship title. Ohio State would make it all the way to finals in the next two years as well, but failed to clinch the title on either occasion.
After graduating, Knight enlisted in the U.S. Army, in which he served on active duty from 1963 to 1965, and as a reserve from 1965 to 1969. While at West Point, he accepted an assistant coaching role with the men's basketball team, and in 1965, at the age of 24, was given the reigns to the team as head coach. Knight saw immediate success coaching Army, winning 104 games over six seasons, as well as mentoring a certain Mike Krzyzewski along the way.
Indiana hired Knight in 1971. In 29 years at the school, Knight would lead the Hoosiers to a total record of 662 wins and 239 losses, for a winning percentage of .735. In that span, Indiana won 42 of 63 games it played in the NCAA Tournament, including title conquests in 1976, 1981 and 1987, as well as two semifinal appearances.
Knight was fired by Indiana in 2000 after multiple complaints made against him for physical abuse, including allegedly choking one of his players during a practice in 1997. After taking a season off, Knight was hired to coach at Texas Tech University. The iconic bench boss turned the program around immediately, taking the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons after not making it to the event since 1996. Knight would retire from coaching in 2008, leaving the Texas Tech job to his son, Pat. He would go on to work at ESPN as a college basketball analyst until 2015.
Knight is the only coach in basketball history to win a NCAA title, NIT title, Pan-American Games gold medal and Olympic gold medal (1984 Los Angeles Games), and only one of three people to win a NCAA National Championship as a player and coach. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, and then again into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Knight will not only be remembered for his influence on the game of basketball, the countless talents he formed and the historic successes he led his teams to, but also his fiery temper, which not only got him in trouble on multiple occasions, but also made him one of the most intimidating and revered figures in North American sports.