Bobby Knight
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Bob Knight is a name that almost everyone has heard at least once in his or her lives. Knight is a collegiate basketball coach who can be described simply, as a great coach with hall of fame status and more accomplishments than many can dream of. Most basketball coaches will never come close to the accolades that Knight has had bestowed upon him. Bob Knight is a “legend in the world of college basketball” (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 2005, October 14).
When Knight first became a head collegiate basketball coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1965, he was awarded the honor of being the youngest major college coach at the age of 24. Knights strongest philosophy as a coach is his emphasis on defense, and at Army, his teams were able to lead the nation in team defense for three consecutive years.
After Bobby Knights first coaching stint, he accepted the head-coaching job at Indiana University. Knight coached at Indiana University for a heralded 29 seasons. Knights Hoosier teams were able to win 11 Big Ten Conference Titles (1973-76, 1980-81, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993), five Final Four appearances (1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1992), one NIT championship (1979), one 32-0 undefeated season (1976), and three NCAA championships (1976, 1981,1987). While coaching his teams to these wonderful championships and honors, Knight was also recognized as National Coach of the Year four times (1975, 1976, 1987, 1989) and Big Ten Coach of the Year six times (1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1989).
Knight also led the United States team to a gold medal in the Pan American games in 1979. In 1984, Knight became one of only four coaches to win an NCAA championship, NIT championship, and an Olympic gold medal. In addition, Bobby was one of only two coaches, Dean Smith being the other, to ever play and coach national championships. For all of Knights accomplishments, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on May 13, 1991.
Bobby Knight was somewhat surprised in September of 2000 when he was fired as Indiana head basketball coach and can be quoted as saying, “For the first time in thirty-six years, I dont have a basketball team” (Knight, Hammel, 2002). Bobby Knight was not left without a basketball team for long; in 2001 he became Texas Tech University head basketball coach.
At Texas Tech University, Knight was able to turnaround the program and lead the team back to the NCAA tournament.