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Legendary basketball coach Bob Knight dies at 83
Bob Knight, the sixth-winningest coach in Division I men's college basketball history whose Hall of Fame career was highlighted by three national titles at Indiana, one an undefeated season not since matched -- and countless on-court outbursts, died Wednesday, according to his family. He was 83. Knight became the youngest coach at a Division I school in 1965 when he broke in at Army at 24. But he made his mark in 29 years at Indiana, including winning a school-record 661 games and reaching the NCAA tournament 24 times in 29 seasons. Knight's first NCAA title came in 1976 when Indiana went undefeated, a feat no team has accomplished since. In 1984, he coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in Los Angeles, the last American amateur team to claim Olympic gold. Knight won 20 or more games in 29 seasons, compiling a career record of 902-371.
Knight was eventually forced out at Indiana in 2000 for violating a "zero tolerance" behavior policy by grabbing the arm of a freshman student who he said greeted him by his last name. It was the final transgression on a long list, which included his most infamous incident -- throwing a chair during a Perdue game and accusations of numerous physical confrontations. The most notable involved Knight apparently choking player Neil Reed in a practice in 1997. Knight then left to become the basketball coach at Texas Tech in 2001, six months after being fired by Indiana for what school officials there called a "pattern of unacceptable behavior." Knight was elected and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Previously, Knight had asked not to be renominated to the Hall of Fame, calling the voters' rejection of him in 1987 a "slap in the face."
He also gave a mock whipping to Calbert Cheaney, a Black Indiana player, during a 1992 practice for the NCAA West Regional, offending several Black leaders. Knight denied any racial connotations and notes the bullwhip was given to him by the players. But he never broke NCAA rules. He always had a high graduation rate and gave his salary back a few years after he arrived in Lubbock because he didn't think he'd earned it. And then in February 2020, he finally returned to Assembly Hall for an Indiana-Purdue, game. He was met with roars of approval from the sold-out crowd, including dozens of former players. Knight walked in with his son Pat. He hugged Isiah Thomas.
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