Bob Knight, the winningest basketball coach in Indiana history, died on Wednesday at age 83.
‘It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family,’ the Knight Family said in a statement. ‘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. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend.’
Knight’s death was felt across the college basketball world, especially at Indiana, where a moment of silence was held in his honor ahead of the Hoosiers’ women’s basketball team’s exhibition game on Wednesday night.
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Here’s how college basketball reacted to Knight’s death:
Indiana video tribute after Bob Knight’s death
Indiana released an obituary for Knight on Wednesday.
Both Indiana men’s and women’s basketball will wear patches on their jerseys to honor Knight this season, and those are expected to be unveiled on Friday.
Steve Alford: ‘I’m a mess’
Steve Alford, who played at Indiana from 1983-1987 and was a member of the 1987 national championship team, now is a college coach.
‘I’m a mess,’ Alford told IndyStar. ‘I could not get through a call.
The man meant the world to me. I saw him about a month ago. It’s all very sad.
‘Bottom line, he made me a better man and player. He promised me that I would play with great teammates, we would have a chance to win championships, I would get my degree, and I would have a friend for life. Not only did he check those important boxes, he has done so much more for me.’
Damon Bailey: ‘There are things I do today that I learned from coach Knight’
Damon Bailey, who played at Indiana from 1990-1994 and was famous before even playing for Knight’s Hoosiers, reflected on the Hall of Fame coach.
‘I think for all the faults he may have had, or was perceived to have had, the people who were closest to him, like his players, there were very few bad things that you heard,’ Bailey said. ‘Obviously, the public and the media can think what they want; for those of us who played for coach, we may not have always agreed with him, but he taught us a lot of life lessons through basketball. There are things I do today that I learned from coach Knight.’
Mike Woodson statement after Bob Knight dies
‘It is a profoundly sad day for all of us who loved Coach Knight,’ Mike Woodson, the current IU basketball coach who played for Knight at Indiana from 1976-80, said in a statement. ‘My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Karen, his family and to all those who loved him.
‘I am so blessed that he saw something in me as a basketball player. He influenced my life in ways I could never repay. As he did with all his players, he always challenged me to get the most out of myself as a player, and more importantly, as a person.
‘His record as a basketball coach speaks for itself. He will be remembered as one of the greatest ever and his impact on the game of basketball is etched in stone. His teams were always prepared and with him on the sideline, you always believed that he put you in the best position to win.
‘I will always cherish the time we spent together after I played for him. His fierce loyalty to his former players never wavered. I am grateful that he was able to come to our practices after I came back. His presence meant so much to me, our staff and our players.’
Mike Krzyzewski: Knight ‘had a profound impact’ on me
Former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who played at Army under Knight from 1966-1969, said he was “one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball today.”
“Clearly, he was one of a kind,’ Krzyzewski said in a statement Wednesday. ‘Coach Knight recruited me, mentored me, and had a profound impact on my career and in my life. This is a tremendous loss for our sport and our family is deeply saddened by his passing.”
Knight was the head coach of the Army Black Knights from 1965-1971. He was hired at Indiana University in 1971, where he coached until 2000. He also coached the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2001-2008.
IU President Pam Whitten statement
“As we collectively mourn the passing of Coach Knight, we also celebrate a man who will always be an integral part of Indiana University’s rich and vibrant story. ‘With unmatched accomplishment, Coach Knight’s brilliance ensures he will forever rest among the giants of college basketball.”
Quinn Buckner statement
Buckner is the chair of the IU Board of Trustees and played for Bob Knight at Indiana from 1972-1976.
“This is a terribly sad day for the IU Basketball family, Indiana University, the state of Indiana, and the world of sports as we say goodbye to Coach Knight. 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. I think it’s important for people to realize that. It was a special opportunity to have been coached by him, and an equally special opportunity to have him as a friend. Because as great a coach as he was, he was an infinitely better friend. He’s a big part of who we are, and we were very fortunate to have had him in our lives.”
Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson statement
“This is a tremendous loss to not only our IU Basketball Family, but the sport. His impact on the game is obvious when looking at his three NCAA and 11 Big Ten Championships and the 902 games that he won throughout a legendary 42-year head coaching career. As great as that record of success is, his impact is even more profound when looking at the enormous successes that his former players, coaches, and managers have enjoyed – both in the sport and outside of it – following their time working alongside Coach Knight and learning from him. His influence will continue to be felt through them for generations to come. I want to extend my deepest condolences to Karen, Tim, Pat, and the entire Knight family. The world of basketball lost a great one today. There won’t be another one like him.”
Tom Crean statement
Crean coached at Indiana from 2008-17.
Chris Beard statement on Bob Knight
Beard, now at Ole Miss, was the coach at Texas Tech from 2016-17 to 2020-21, after serving as an assistant at TTU under Pat Knight, who had replaced his father as coach of the Red Raiders.
Bob Knight coached Texas Tech from 2001-08.
George Karl statement
Karl, the longtime NBA coach, is one of only nine NBA head coaches to win 1,000 games.