Bob Knight Through the Years

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 5, 2008

Bob Knight Through the Years

February 2, 2008

Intense until the end, Knight doesn't like what he sees during what turns out to be his final game, a 67-60 victory over visiting Oklahoma State.

Jan. 16, 2008

Knight thanked the Texas Tech fans after victory No. 900 by saying, "You folks being here, seats being full for a change, really made a difference tonight."

January 1, 2007

Bob Knight became the winningest coach in men's Division I college basketball when his Texas Tech team held on to beat New Mexico 70-68 on New Year's Day. Knight, who began his head-coaching career at Army in 1966, broke a tie with Dean Smith with victory No. 880.

November 13, 2006

During win No. 871, Knight slapped sophomore forward Michael Prince and later explained that he was merely trying to tell the player to step up and have more confidence. Both Prince and his parents said afterward that Knight did nothing wrong and Texas Tech took no action against the coach.

Feb. 5, 2003

Knight joined the elite trio of North Carolina's Dean Smith (879), Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (876), and Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan (827) as the only men's basketball coaches with 800 victories with a 75-49 win over Nebraska. Knight, who coached at West Point, Indiana and Texas Tech, is the only one of the four to coach at more than one school.

Sept. 7, 2000

Kent Harvey, a 19-year old Indiana freshman, called Knight by his last name and the coach scolded the student for disrespecting an elder. The fallout was the last straw for Knight at Indiana. He was later dismissed for violating the university's zero tolerance policy, which was implemented the previous May in reaction to other complaints. Then-Indiana University president and current NCAA president Myles Brand asked Knight to resign, and relieved the fiery coach from his duties when he refused two days later.

May 22, 2000

After a thorough investigation, Indiana president Myles Brand decided to retain Knight despite a choking incident with Neil Reed and a charge that he cursed and threw a vase at a secretary, among others. Brand suspended Knight for three games, docked him $30,000 in pay, established "zero tolerance" rules for his behavior at practice, in games, and public capacities, including dealing with the press. "Should Bob Knight violate any of these requirements, he will be terminated," Brand said. Many, including SI, disagreed with the decision.

March 14, 2000

A team videotape of a 1997 practice at Assembly Hall captured Knight grabbing hold of junior point guard Neil Reed's neck. Reed had previously alleged that Knight had choked him, and the video appears to substantiate his claim. CNN/Sports Illustrated received a tape of the incident after airing a report on March 14, 2000, exploring reasons why three high school All-America players had transferred out of Indiana. "It was disgusting to me," Reed said. "I don't need a tape to tell me what happened."

March 17, 2000

Knight did not know it at the time, but his No. 6-seed team's 77-57 loss to No. 11-seed Pepperdine in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. was his last game as Hoosiers' coach. Knight returned to the NCAA tournament in 2002 with Texas Tech and also exited in the first round.

Feb. 13, 1999

Calm and cool after confronting Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill about the Wildcats' student section, which chanted "Who's your daddy?", Knight shakes O'Neill's hand following Indiana's 69-62 victory.

March 12, 1995

Adore him or abhor him, no one knows Knight better than his son, Pat. A four-year reserve for his father, Pat played his last game at Assembly Hall as Indiana defeated Iowa, 110-79. Knight said that his son, who is currently the head coach designate at Texas Tech, was his favorite player of all-time.

March 20, 1994

One month and a week after John Chaney threatened to kill then-UMass coach John Calipari during a post game press conference, Knight embraced his fellow coaching icon following a 67-58 NCAA tournament win in Landover, Md.

March 23, 1987

Seven days before Knight celebrated his third national championship with a victory over Syracuse, SI put Knight on the cover after beating Auburn, 107-90, in the NCAA tournament. Keith Smart hit a 16-foot jump shot in the final seconds to beat the Orangemen, 74-73, in the final.

March 30, 1985

The 1984-85 season ended on this day at Madison Square Garden for Knight and star point guard Steve Alford. But it was author John Feinstein's A Season on the Brink that made Alford, now the coach at Iowa, famous for his tempestuous relationship with Knight. Feinstein was allowed full access into the inner workings of Knight's basketball and personal life. While Knight did not enjoy the final product, readers did. The season-long chronicle of Knight's 1985-86 team became a New York Times Bestseller.

Feb. 23, 1985

Knight blew his top during a 72-63 loss to Purdue. Known for throwing tantrums, Knight crossed the line when he threw a chair across the court at Assembly Hall. Knight's furor was raised when he was charged with a technical while protesting a foul called on Daryl Thomas.

Jan. 26, 1981

Before Feinstein chronicled a season with Knight, The General was profiled by SI senior writer Frank Deford in "The Rabbit Hunter". The well-known piece proved to be prophetic and still stands as an authoritative look at Knight's fortes and foibles. "Someday Knight could even surpass Rupp's record 874 wins, a seemingly insurmountable total .... His contemporaries in coaching not only revere him for his professional gifts, but some of his most esteemed predecessors -- mythic men of basketball lore -- see Knight as the very keeper of the game. The torch is in his hands," wrote Deford.

Sept. 10, 1979

Five years before he would lead Team USA to the men's basketball gold medal in the Los Angeles summer games, Knight found himself embroiled in an international incident at the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Charged with assaulting an officer, Knight was sentenced, in absentia, to six months in jail, but Puerto Rico eventually gave up extradition attempts in 1987. The U.S. team won the gold medal with former Knight player Mike Krzyzewski (right) serving as an assistant.

July, 1979

Before Knight became a legendary figure, Fred Taylor (center) coached Knight at Ohio State. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game, Taylor's most enduring product may have been Knight, who Taylor used sparingly during the Buckeyes' winning run to the 1960 NCAA championship. Here he assists Knight during the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

March 29, 1976

Knight has always sought perfection from his players, whether on the practice court or in the classroom. In 1976 he got it. Pictured with Scott May (center) and Quinn Buckner (right), the Hoosiers celebrated after capping a 32-0 season with a win over Michigan, 86-68, to win the national title. No team has gone undefeated since.

Bob Knight Through the Years