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Related: About this forumBobbie Knight has passed away.....
Iconic as he was controversial, Bob Knight for decades embodied the spirit of basketball in a corner of the world mad about it. His hard-nosed, fundamentals-driven style and attention to detail became deeply rooted in the culture of the sport for basketball fans in southern Indiana and elsewhere, his admirers standing as ardently by him as his critics often chastised him.
At the height of his success, few in the sport were more recognizable, or more noteworthy.
Knight died in Bloomington, according to a post on bobknight.com, a website that represents Knight and his foundation. The school later confirmed Knight's death, announcing his passing ahead of the Indiana women's exhibition game Wednesday at Assembly Hall. He was 83.
OAITW r.2.0
(28,392 posts)His antics on the sidelines never impressed me.
JT45242
(2,904 posts)He rose millions upon millions for academic scholarships, the library, and academic facilities.
He was a flawed man, but did far more good than he will get credit for.
When he spoke at coaching conferences he always talked more about how to help players become competent adults who could live moral and productive lives than he did X and O.
I was an assistant for a coach that my brother called "little Bobby" cause he was nose to nose yelling at the point guard. I told him, you haven't seen the hundreds of hours we poured into that kid. Study tables. Team meals. Goal setting on the fifty yard line at UT rocky top while at a team camp. Our players knew coach cared more about them growing up than winning.
Bobby Knight said similar things and his players spoke of it often. That coach helped them grow into great men, not great athletes.