College Basketball Legend Bob Knight Was an Inspiring and Polarizing Figure

The Hall-of Famer was known for his talent and his tirades

Mark Medina,

AARP

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Published November 02, 2023

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

As he patrolled the sideline, Bob Knight displayed both his coaching brilliance and his uncontrolled rage.

The legendary college basketball coach motivated and empowered his players well enough to win three NCAA championships with Indiana (1976, 1981, 1987).

Yet, that same coach also bullied his players with verbal outbursts and old-school discipline.

Knight died at age 83 on Wednesday, his family announced on his website, leaving behind a complicated legacy that includes both his coaching brilliance and his countless outbursts.

Knight became one of college basketball’s most iconic coaches both for his achievements and for how he influenced the game. He set records for most wins in an NCAA Division I men’s program (902; currently sixth) and managed the last undefeated men’s team in NCAA Division I basketball (1976). He modernized the motion offense that emphasizes setting screens and quick passes to create open shots, concepts that both college basketball and NBA teams currently embrace. He developed countless players who also eventually became influential coaches in both the NCAA and the NBA. He achieved stellar results, while ensuring strong graduation rates and avoiding any academic or recruiting violations.

Yet Knight also became one of college basketball’s most polarizing coaches for his abrasive behavior. He once threw a chair across the court to protest the game’s officiating (1985). He grabbed the throat of player Neil Reed after becoming upset with his play in practice (1997). Indiana suspended Knight in 2000 after a video validated Reed’s allegations, then fired Knight months later for grabbing the arm of a freshman student who approached him on campus. Through his head coaching stops at Army (1965-71), Indiana (1971-2000) and Texas Tech (2001-2008), Knight belittled reporters’ questions that he considered overly critical, misinformed or lazy.

So, what should we make of Knight’s legacy?

It seems easy to contextualize his Hall of Fame credentials. It also seems difficult to rationalize his erratic behavior. For better and for worse, Knight became known as “The General” because of his absolute command of his craft and how he managed people.

Knight’s basketball achievements fill more than a page on his résumé. At age 24, Knight became the youngest coach at a Division I school (Army). Once he joined Indiana, Knight set a school record for most wins (661) while making 24 NCAA tournament appearances in 29 seasons. Knight excelled at Texas Tech, which enjoyed 20-win seasons in five of his six years. With also guiding the U.S. men’s national team to gold-medal finishes in the 1984 Olympics and 1979 Pan American Games, Knight became the only basketball coach ever to win championships on the NCAA, NIT, Olympic and Pan Am stages.

Yet Knight’s employment record also includes extensive violations that would worry any human resources department. Knight preached player discipline both in practices and in games, but he often lacked such restraint toward officials. Knight expected his players to obey his authority, but he often failed to treat his players with respect. Knight epitomized the college coach who commands absolute power without accepting that it also comes with responsibility and humility.

In today’s environment, society would not have tolerated Knight’s behavior for long. Social media would have exposed his practice outbursts much sooner. Knight’s insults, some of which were sexist or vulgar, would have sparked stronger public outrage. Knight’s coaching tenure might have ended much more abruptly than it took for Indiana to terminate him.

Nonetheless, those around Knight provided glowing character references well before his passing.

Knight donated money to support academic and athletic programs at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech. Former players thanked Knight for molding their resiliency and enhancing their character through his demanding practices and exacting personality. Even after going public with his allegation, Reed said that he was not happy that Indiana fired Knight. Despite his obsessive and competitive nature, Knight showed devoted interest in his family, reading, golfing and the outdoors. Knight’s proponents may not defend his abhorrent behavior. But they believed Knight held the right intentions, maintained loyalty to his close associates and kept a healthy and rich life off the court.

It seems difficult to give Knight a proper eulogy that can celebrate his impact on basketball while contextualizing how that devotion exposed both his attributes and his flaws. While elevating his basketball programs and players with his relentlessness, Knight made both friends and critics along the way for the same reason.

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Mark Medina has covered the NBA since 2010 at a variety of news organizations, including NBA.com, USA Today, the Bay Area News Group, the Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Times.

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