Legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight dies at age 83
02 Nov 2023
Renowned basketball coach Bobby Knight’ whose illustrious career included three national titles with Indiana’ an undefeated season that remains unmatched’ and a reputation for his fiery demeanor on the court’ has passed away at the age of 83.
Knight’s family shared the news of his passing on a Wednesday night. The coach had been battling illness since April and had experienced declining health over the past few years.
In a statement’ the family said’ “It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bobby 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.”
Bob Jordan/AP
Bobby Knight’s coaching journey began in 1965 when he became the youngest coach at a Division I school’ taking the helm at Army at the age of 24. However’ it was during his 29-year tenure at Indiana that he left an indelible mark. He achieved a record-breaking 661 wins and led the team to the NCAA tournament an astounding 24 times in 29 seasons. Notably’ Knight’s first NCAA title came in 1976 when Indiana achieved an undefeated season’ a feat that remains unmatched to this day.
Quinn Buckner’ the Indiana Board of Trustees chair’ reflected on Bobby Knight’s impact’ saying’ “One of the things that he said to our 1976 team’ which I was fortunate enough to be a part of’ was that you may never see another team like this again. Well’ I don’t know that we will ever see another coach like him again.”
In 1984’ Bobby Knight also coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in Los Angeles’ marking the last time an American amateur team claimed Olympic gold. Throughout his career’ Knight recorded 20 or more wins in 29 seasons’ amassing a career record of 902-371.
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’ who played for Bobby Knight at Army and eventually surpassed him as the winningest Division I college basketball coach in 2011’ paid tribute to his mentor’ saying’ “We lost one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball today. Clearly’ he was one of a kind.”
Knight’ known as “The General’” faced controversies during his career’ leading to his forced departure from Indiana in 2000 for violating a “zero tolerance” behavior policy. His most infamous incident involved throwing a chair during a Purdue game’ and he faced accusations of numerous physical confrontations’ including an incident where he apparently choked player Neil Reed during a practice in 1997.
Despite his departure from Indiana’ Bobby Knight resurfaced as the basketball coach at Texas Tech in 2001’ where he achieved five 20-win seasons’ a milestone for the school. On January 1’ 2007’ he became the then-winningest Division I men’s coach with 880 career wins. Knight celebrated this achievement with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way’” a song that reflected his approach to life and coaching.
Knight’s legacy was marked by his unwavering dedication to the game’ but also his discipline and influence as a coach. His impact extended beyond the court’ emphasizing the importance of student-athletes receiving a quality education and maintaining a high graduation rate.
Bob Knight was indeed a complex figure’ known for his outbursts’ but he never broke NCAA rules and had a commitment to player education. His firing from Indiana in 2000 remained controversial’ but in recent years’ there was a thaw in the strained relationship between Knight and the school. He made appearances at Indiana events’ purchased a house near the basketball arena’ and returned to Assembly Hall for an Indiana-Purdue game in February 2020’ receiving a warm welcome from fans and former players.
Knight leaves behind his wife Karen and sons Tim and Pat’ with a lasting legacy as one of the most iconic figures in college basketball history.
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