The General did it His Way
by Francesca Basile
Bobby Knight was showered with praise on New Year’s Day for his 880th win, breaking the record previously held by Dean Smith for career wins by a college basketball coach. Standing in the center of Texas Tech’s basketball court after a 70-68 win over New Mexico, red confetti rained down on the coach while Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” rang through the sound system. Through his speeches, Knight showed more appreciative emotion, then, than he has over his entire 42 year career.
The famously combative coach represents the best and worst that the NCAA basketball has to offer. He has thrown chairs across courts, held hostile press conferences, and been arrested for physical assault. In between the many recurring incidents, he has gained respect as a “basketball genius,” understanding the game better than almost anyone in the world, and pushing his players to perform at levels above and beyond those of their competitors.
Knight gained his first 102 wins at West Point, beginning his career at age 24. The early start as the youngest college basketball coach in history gave him ample time to reach the magic number of 880.
In 1971, Knight moved to Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to three NCAA championships and one NIT championship, as well as eleven Big Ten Conference titles. Knight added 32 wins to his resume with the Hoosier’s legendary 1976 season - the only Division I team to have a completely undefeated season.
These accomplishments by themselves could have made Knight a coach for further generations to emulate, but it’s his infamous temper and aggressive actions off the court that have brought bigger headlines than his basketball statistics. His dream run of wins in the 1970s was peppered with incidents. He slapped Kentucky coach Joe Hall during a press conference, pulled Indiana guard Jim Wisman off the court by his jersey, and was arrested for assaulting a police officer during the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. The chair-throwing incident occurred in 1985 during a game against rival Purdue.
It was Knight’s final years at Indiana University that really showcased his characteristic ornery and un-sportsmanlike behavior. After incidents that involved berating an NCAA volunteer at a press conference, making derogatory remarks about a referee, throwing a potted plant at a secretary, punching an assistant coach, and allegedly choking a player, the University adopted a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy towards his behavior. This eventually led to his firing in 2000.
Texas Tech gladly hired Knight in 2001, looking for him to turn around their slacking men’s basketball program. Since then he has led the Red Raiders to three NCAA tournaments, going as far as the Sweet Sixteen two seasons ago.
He now owns the title for most wins as a coach and will forever be looked upon as one of the most influential figures in college basketball history. The statistics that will be engraved into his Hall of Fame plaque will undoubtedly represent someone deserving of the honor. Yet, will his behavior be remembered as much as his record?
As the old cliché goes, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” The saying is taught to children as they make their first attempts at organized sports, a lesson about sportsmanship taking precedence over the scoreboard results. But Knight displays the opposite. He attributes his hard-nosed tactics and fiery behavior to a disciplined program, a coaching style that pushes his players to win. His achievements trump the extent of his unruly temperament. His behavior may have contributed more to his media coverage throughout his career than did his performance as a basketball coach, but years from now, he will be remembered as the college basketball mastermind that managed 880 (and certainly more) wins in his career.
The fact that a hostile and aggressive individual can accomplish more than any other college basketball coach in NCAA history doesn’t say much for the importance of sportsmanship. Maybe this sends the wrong type of message to today’s young athletes who look up to the best in the game as role models. Or maybe we should remember that sports are no substitute for life lessons about teamwork and cooperation, they are merely a set of games that come down to winners, losers, and the numbers on the scoreboard.
Bob Knight Biography - http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Knight.htm
Player Bio: Bob Knight - http://texastech.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/knight_bob00.html
