Robert Montgomery Knight
Bobby Knight
"The General
Bob Knight, to each of us means something different. To me he is a legend, someone I look up to with the deepest respect. He is everything I think a person should be. He is a good coach, a good man, and very straightforward. For twenty-nine years, he was Indiana University, for most of us, me especially. Whether you loved him, or you hated him, you should have respect for him and his accomplishments. He is a great coach and I don’t think
anyone can argue with that nor forget it.The 1976 Hoosiers, coached by none other than Bob Knight, were the last D1 National Champion team to go undefeated. That was the first of his three National titles at Indiana(81 and 87). He’s the only coach to win a NCAA championship, NIT title, the Pan American Gold and an Olympic gold medal. Under Knight the Hoosiers only finished under .500 twice in Big 10 play. In 29 years at Indiana, he received only three suspensions, a one-game suspension for the infamous chair-throwing incident in 1985, a 1993 one-game suspension for shoving his son Pat on the sideline and the three-game penalty that was scheduled to be served in 2000 for his conduct in "genral." He was named National Coach of the year four times, (’75,’76,’87 and ’89). He had 21, 20-win seasons, in 29 years at Indiana University.
For as long as I can remember I have loved I.U. and loved watching Bob Knight coach. "Bobby Knight" was one of the first things I said. I haven’t missed many games of I.U. I always until September of 2000 wanted to go there, but now I don’t. Did you know that Knight, "the big bad man," sends out a Christmas gift, not just a card, to the parents of every single former player. Also he is very generous to charities. He dresses like a normal guy wearing jeans, pullovers, dock siders or IU stuff.
On September 10, 2000 Robert Montgomery Knight was no longer the I.U. basketball coach. Students and fans were outraged, while his haters cheered and said it was about time, but did they know the man. They just see what they want to see; they just hear what they want to hear. It was obvious that the players and the fans wanted Knight to stay. People say he is too aggressive, to abusive, but why did some of the best players in the nation continue to come to I.U. They didn’t come to play for Indiana University; they came to play for Bob Knight. They grew up watching Bob Knight
. The players who mostly came to Indiana solely because of Knight were turning to their former coach for guidance. Junior forward Jarrad Odle said, Knight made it clear to the team he's available anytime they want to talk. "He's going to be a friend to us now instead of a coach." "He's being a friend to us and trying to get us to the best place we can be."
Kirk Haston, George Leach, Jarrad Odle and Dane Fife watch as Brand’s decision to let Knight go is announced.
Knight is such a bad coach, that all of his players came to the Press conference to support him, and haven’t spoken anything but the kindest words about him. A.J. Moye said about Knights firing, "I just feel like the whole administration, this whole school is screwed up, basically." "We were lied to, we were deceived and now it's over, all because people wanted coach out. They got their way. I hope they're happy. ... I hope they're just dancing somewhere happy. Twelve players' lives are never going to be the same because of them." Kirk Haston said "This is still his team, and I'll do anything he says he wants me to do." Former player Michael Lewis said "If all you see are the pictures on TV, you see a guy who yells at officials, kicks a player or throws chairs>" "But that's not who he is. That's not what we see. He is demanding, sure, but he is caring and we all know he only wants to teach us." Lewis from Jasper, Indiana, was yelled at as much as anyone his four seasons at I.U. Antawn Randle El who played one season for Knight, before concentrating on football in the 1999-2000 season said "When I meet some people they say, 'Oh, he must really be a jerk,' "growing annoyed at the thought. "But I just say, 'Hey, you don't know him, so don't talk about him like that.' [Knight] chews you out sometimes -- and you probably deserve it -- but he's always right there with an explanation and encouragement, too. He knows what he's doing."
Students gather at Assembly Hall
The players weren’t the only ones upset about Knight’s dismissal; the student body voiced their frustrations quite loud. Shortly after the announcement the students and fans gathered outside of Assembly Hall for their protests. They then marched, thousands strong, to Myles Brand’s house. They chanted "Hey, hey, ho, ho! Myles Brand has got to go!" While others burned an effigy of Kent Harvey. Less than one hour after Brand’s announcement, car horns were honking and chants of "We love Bobby" were heard all over campus. Many students carried signs many made of with messages like: "Who Wants Season Tickets?" and "Mr. Knight Is A Legend."
At one point the gathering, James Turner, a 21-year-old senior from Fort Wayne, grabbed a bullhorn and shouted: "I was born in the state of Indiana, I've lived here all my life, and I don't ever want to be anywhere else. But today I'm ashamed to call myself a Hoosier." Also Andrea Osman held up a red IU flag on which she scrawled the epithet: "The spineless political institution of the year." "I believe Indiana University as an institution caved in to pressure from the outside world, specifically the media, instead of doing what's best for the IU community," she said. Students and fans also set fire to I.U. memorabilia.
Hell even our Governor Frank O’bannon was saddened to see Knight leave. "I have known Bob Knight for many years and am personally saddened by this outcome and the chain of events that led to it." Also was Steve Alford, former I.U. player, "I have always seen Indiana University and coach Knight as one in the same," Alford said.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said that he thought Knight could have conducted himself better. "But the great things he's done and the wonderful things he's accomplished far outweigh the bad," Izzo said.
Pat Knight, the youngest of Knight's boys said that this whole charrede has ruined Indiana University for him. "The university handled this poorly," the younger Knight said. "I'm ashamed to say I went here. I'll never do anything again for this university." When asked if he would stay as an assistant Pat replied a lot like his father would, "Hell no. I'm going with my Dad. I stand by him."
Knight’s farewell to I.U.
Bob Knight said goodbye to Indiana University after twenty-nine years, while 6000 people watched and listened on Dunn Meadow, and even more watched from the roof of a fraternity
house across the street and climbed trees, as the rest of the state watched on television. Many held signs supporting for Bob Knight. One read "Politics + a punk + cowards = railroading of a great man" Another "Career victories, Knight: 763, Brand/Doninger: 0" A third "Bring back Bobby" A fourth said "My degree is from Knight school." Knight asked the students to let Kent Harvey go on with school and life. He also asked them to continue to support the basketball program, and do as if he was still there.His full speech follows:
There's really, I think, over all the years I've been here, one of the things that I've tried to keep uppermost in my mind with the basketball program is that the students are a very big part of it.
Sometimes when maybe I'd slip a little bit or I don't, or I might not have that at the top of priorities, my wife, Karen, always reminds me because, I'll guarantee you, in the 12 or 13 years that she's been here, there's nobody that has been more concerned or given me more ideas on what could be done as far as basketball is concerned for you, the students, than my wife, Karen, can.
Now, what she's done and what I hope all of you students will take part in is a walk-run for cancer that Karen has worked hard on that will be set up here in Bloomington on the morning of the 14th of October. And she really wants you students to participate in it because there aren't any of us anywhere that haven't touched in some way by cancer.
(Kisses Mrs. Knight.)
Mrs. KNIGHT:
I hope what he just did won't be termed inappropriate physical contact.
KNIGHT:
You know, I'm here talking to you as students in the year 2000. But what I think I'm really doing is talking to all students who have attended this university since 1971.
How many of you students had a mom or a dad or a brother or a sister who have attended Indiana since 1971?
I mean, I've been here so long as many of who had grandparents that attended Indiana.
The End of an Era.
Now yet another chapter has been closed in the Knight saga, with Indiana University basketball and one in all of our lives. In time we all will overcome our feelings about this chapter, but we will never forget it. Only one book is complete, Knight at I.U. Jarrad Odle said,"He told us he's going to coach again." "There's no doubt in my mind he's one of the best coaches in the nation and for him to not move on to another school would be a shame." Knight will resurface, the I.U. players will still play, I.U. will still have a basketball program, and we all will live, but I think we all will be a little different. We will miss Bobby Knight in Indiana, and I am sure I.U. will lose some fans, but we all will recover.
Bob Knight took the Texas Tech job in March of 2000, and I am sure this will have a strong support in Indiana. I have seen in this state I call home many people wearing Texas Tech stuff. We are Indiana, and we were Indiana University fans, but we are bigger Bobby Knight fans. Hell he's the only perosn I ever saw coach at IU until this past season. I couldn't imagine IU not having him there, but now I can, and it sucks.
Texas Tech had the best season in years during the 2001-2002. They made it to the NCAA tourney, but lost in the first round, but that was a hell of a turn a round.
