RIP Bob Knight
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
He was very close to Bo Schemblechler. When Schemblecnler was Michigan’s AD, he fired basketball coach Bill Freider prior to the start of the NCAA Tourney for accepting a job at Arizona State. Bill Fisher was named interim coach and led them to the title (on a controversial call against Seton Hall). At the time Bo was quoted as saying “I want a Michigan man to coach Michigan” and one of the people he was going to consult with to make his decision was Bobby Knight.
There were a few posters on his Board who advocated we go after Knight when he was between jobs and even while at Texas Tech.
RIP
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Don't defend him because you two are related lol. IMO we should remember Knight for all he was: a great coach and highly imperfect(I'm being kind) human being. The fact that he's dead doesn't change who he was.
Sounds like several people that post on here. He was what he was.
L J S A
Well-known member
Just heard a great Knight story on the radio out here in the Bay Area after dropping daughter off at school. Guy was discussing something Mullin said on a podcast about a year ago. Podcaster asked Mullin about Olympic experience, mostly how scary it was to play for Knight. Not too scary apparently -- Knight loved Mullin because of his work ethic, because he was a true student of the game, and of course because he was a lights out shooter.
The part that I had never heard was that after the Olympic experience, any time Knight was flying in and out of New York, he would go out of his way to find Mullin's dad (who worked security at JFK) so he could have lunch with him. This went on the entire time Mullin's dad worked at the airport.
The part that I had never heard was that after the Olympic experience, any time Knight was flying in and out of New York, he would go out of his way to find Mullin's dad (who worked security at JFK) so he could have lunch with him. This went on the entire time Mullin's dad worked at the airport.
Yep. I've had quite a few temper tantrums in my day
I have a cousin who reported to Mullin's dad in customs at JFK. The senior Mullin, he said, was an all-time favorite of everyone who worked for him. Like Chris, Mr. Mullin attained sobriety. My cousin said after that, he was very much a very good man, but a tought SOB to work for.
Correct Frieder had accepted the job at Arizona St but he wanted to coach Michigan in the NCAAs before he formally left and took over at AZ St.
And Bo said basically "Get Lost..." And that is when he uttered the famous phrase about a Michigan man...
guinness77
Well-known member
I was working as a, mostly, high school sports reporter while I was in college for the Poughkeepsie Journal and part of my job was “localizing” any national sporting occurrences or major events.
I was there when Bobby Knight put his hand around the throat of the kid on campus who said “what’s up, Knight.” So, we have a database of people in the area whom I can refer to when I’m writing a story like this. Different people, different sports, decent amount of people in the mid-Hudson area, both sides of the river.
Part of my job was to, you know, journalism I, write a balanced story. I’m not sure that exists anymore in 2023, but that was an essential part of the piece. I must have called at least 12-15 people before I could find one person to even say one remotely bad thing about him. He obviously had ties to the area and a lot of our database tended to be on the older side so a lot of them were blaming the college, blaming the kid, blaming the generation, etc. I’ve always had a pretty high opinion of him myself, despite his shananigans, but it was surprising how long it took to me to get, even, 3 somewhat “bad” quotes to include. Almost didn’t make my deadline! lol
Anyway, RIP Bobby Knight. Say what you want about him, he graduated almost all his players and they all excelled in the classroom. They also, mostly, thought very highly of him and always competed hard. Those things do say a lot about him despite his temper and his dry sense of humor (which I’m NGL, always enjoyed).
I was there when Bobby Knight put his hand around the throat of the kid on campus who said “what’s up, Knight.” So, we have a database of people in the area whom I can refer to when I’m writing a story like this. Different people, different sports, decent amount of people in the mid-Hudson area, both sides of the river.
Part of my job was to, you know, journalism I, write a balanced story. I’m not sure that exists anymore in 2023, but that was an essential part of the piece. I must have called at least 12-15 people before I could find one person to even say one remotely bad thing about him. He obviously had ties to the area and a lot of our database tended to be on the older side so a lot of them were blaming the college, blaming the kid, blaming the generation, etc. I’ve always had a pretty high opinion of him myself, despite his shananigans, but it was surprising how long it took to me to get, even, 3 somewhat “bad” quotes to include. Almost didn’t make my deadline! lol
Anyway, RIP Bobby Knight. Say what you want about him, he graduated almost all his players and they all excelled in the classroom. They also, mostly, thought very highly of him and always competed hard. Those things do say a lot about him despite his temper and his dry sense of humor (which I’m NGL, always enjoyed).
I’d be interested to hear what the assaulted “kid” thought about the incident these many years later.
guinness77
Well-known member
Good question. You could argue he got exactly the type of reaction he was looking for.
Guinness got it wrong he didn’t grab the student by the throat he grabbed his arm. The throat incident involved one of his players Neil Reed at practice.
Interesting article on ESPN by Jay Bilas, who became friends with Knight in the past two decades of his life. Even though he calls him a friend, he admits he was a very complicated man. The point that stuck out to me is he referred to him as relentlessly stubborn, and gave examples of how he was unable to see others viewpoint or shift his own viewpoint once he felt he was right about something.
Jay Bilas: I liked the Bob Knight I knew
Bob Knight, who has died at age 83, had his many faults, but he also had admirable traits, including friendship.
L J S A
Well-known member
Jeez, being friends with him would have been like having another wife.
guinness77
Well-known member
I’m not sure which occurrence it was then lol. I don’t know if both got him suspended. I want to say it was the kid on campus, not the player on his team, which is what I wrote the local story about.
I googled it…it was the kid on campus. It happened Sept 2000, which is when I worked there (I was there from late ‘99 to late ‘00). Can’t find a single thing I wrote there online, sigh.
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And, I think that bled over into his coaching. He never really deviated from the motion offense, or the man-to-man defense. Conversely, his last 12 full years, he only made the regionals once, and no regional finals.Interesting article on ESPN by Jay Bilas, who became friends with Knight in the past two decades of his life. Even though he calls him a friend, he admits he was a very complicated man. The point that stuck out to me is he referred to him as relentlessly stubborn, and gave examples of how he was unable to see others viewpoint or shift his own viewpoint once he felt he was right about something.
Jay Bilas: I liked the Bob Knight I knew
Bob Knight, who has died at age 83, had his many faults, but he also had admirable traits, including friendship.www.espn.com
This day and age, you can't play one way all of the time, and expect great results (though I guess he should be commended for getting his teams as far as he did). The opponent just has too much video on you, and will adjust.
His career was so long that when I was young enough to play for him I would say “I never would, but I would want me son to play for him.” And as he was still coaching when I actually had a son I then realized “hell no, I wouldn‘t want my son anywhere near him either.“ Not that either of us were good enough to do so!
Tremendous coach though, no doubt about that.
I don't care how much of a disciplinarian a coach is and how much a coach can help my kid improve as a player, if I have to worry about a coach putting his hands around my kid's throat, I'll find someone else to coach my kid.
Ex-Hoosier Reed, figure in Knight's firing, dies
Former Indiana basketball player Neil Reed, whom Bob Knight was caught on tape choking in 1997, died Thursday, sources close to the family told ESPN.
He never wanted that spotlight shined on him and knew fans in Indiana would villainize as the guy who turned on Knight. The journalist pursued him for several years and he did not want to speak about it.
He became a gym teacher at pioner valley, and the kids loved him. He put on a ton of weight, and was relieved for the 1st time in his life didn't have to stay in playing shape.
I really feel that Neil Reed was collateral damage in the quest to get the story that brought down Bobby Knight. It is a tragedy really.
Thanks for bringing this up . Mike Woodson , former Knight player and current IU Coach played a significant role in getting Bobby back to the Campus and Knight moved back to Bloomington to live these last years .
Knight had flaws . But , as a BB Coach had few peers . Plus , as hard as it is for some people to understand , Knight was nearly universally loved by every player who played for him . That’s no BS .
And , the regular people of Bloomington shared in that affection for Bobby. If you notice , a lot of former top notch Coaches have passed through IU since Knight left there . None were successful to the extent the Alums, Fans , former players demanded . The jury is out on Woodson but , don’t bet against him .
Pitino has built a resume of being a great Coach and for him to be in the same sentence as Bobby just solidifies our hiring Rick as the right move .