Favorite Coach Knight Stories

[Chris007]

I'm late to this thread, but just been trying to process this even though we knew it was coming. As a child born right after the 76 season, with both parents who worked for IU and were season ticket holders I got to experience things not all kids did. I was the youngest of two kids, my older brother wasn't really into sports so I got to go to every home basketball game from 81-94 when I left for college. I went to his basketball camp every year, he lived in my town of Ellettsville, just felt like I had a connection to IU basketball that has never left.

I have so many stories about my run ends with Coach Knight over the years and how well he treated my family and my wife's family. Prayers to Karen, Pat, Tim and the Knight family. Would love to do a thread about everyone stories about Coach Knight sometime. I would love to share a few. 

[Stuhoo]

Thanks for the great post Chris, and for the wise advice to have this separate thread.

For me? I was at IU from first day of undergrad in 1983 through law school in 1990. Extraordinary years for IU basketball and Coach Knight's prime. Seeing him in the IU Auditorium addressing the students every year were some of the best concert events I have ever seen.

And the games? Wow. Extraordinary intensity and defense? For sure. But also putting up well over 100 points against Iowa and Tom Davis' supposedly vaunted press. Running UNLV out of the gym in 1987.

That feeling of absolute invincibility every time Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Iowa came to town. And when we were down early to teams? That swell of crowd intensity and the Hoosier players' response. Until there was a complete defensive feeding frenzy, fed by 17,222 standing fans, and completed by Bobby's Hoosiers as they rose up to insure that our home court was again a winning court on that day.

RMK on the stadium public address making sure the students didn't have audibly vulgar chants. All the while mother****ing the refs from close distance. Because angry was his job. He appreciated the hell out of IU and it's students. We had our job at games, and he had his.

[JSHoosier]

I got a broken leg as a kid. A teacher I had at the time either knew Coach Knight or talked to him at a game (I forget which) and told him what happened and that I was an Indiana fan. I got an autographed picture in the mail that I have to this day.

[Chris007]

Going to his basketball camp from the ages of 8-12 was always so fun. We mostly dealt with the assistant coaches waking us up in the morning at Wright quad and making us run to the Hyper after breakfast for camp all day. We only got to see Coach Knight for about 10 minutes on the first day when our parents dropped us off and on the last day when they picked us up. He gave the same speech every year on the last day. I still remember to this day. If anyone ever tries to sell you drugs, you walk right up to them and punch them in the face and say that's from Bob Knight. 

[Chris007]

My first real one-on-one interaction with Coach Knight was when I was probably around 10 years old. My dad was a plumber for IU for almost 40 years. He usually got called out for jobs around Assembly Hall & Memorial Stadium for some reason. I remember being at home with him & receiving a call on a Saturday or Sunday that they needed him for a job at AH. My mom and brother were gone so my dad had to take me with him. My dad and 3 other guys are there working on a water line when Coach Knight walks up. He starts chewing their butts off about why is it taking so long, when will it be done, and using words I wasn't used to or should be hearing at my age. I remember asking my dad why he sit there and take that? He said Coach isn't mad at us, he's mad that it didn't get turned in earlier, he might be mad at some players, or something else. he's just letting off some steam, it;'s no big deal. About an hour later Chuck Crabb came walking up with two large pizzas and said Coach Knight wants to make sure you guys get a good meal today. I always remember that my dad as a plumber still felt like he was part of the team. Coach Knight made everyone feel like they were a part of Indiana basketball. 

[Hovadipo]

This isn't the best story, but it's mine. I like to tell the very short, no context story that "Bob Knight was at my kid's 1st birthday party".

The story with context: on my kid's 1st birthday, I had a really long day at work. Rushed to get home before bedtime so I could see him and we, for some reason, decided to run to Cheddar's for a late dinner on a cold rainy evening, sleepy 1 year-old tantrums be damned. We walk in the door, I look to my right and see Bob Hammel. Kind of laughed to myself knowing that my wife wouldn't care if I tried explaining who that was. As the hostess starts walking us to our table, I get farther in and see that Hammel is with the Knights and I about pooped. Turns out college basketball's most complicated man had the simplest palate. Didn't dare go say hi or anything, that's not my thing (wish others felt the same, but...well...) but I did let my wife and anyone else that would listen know that Bob Knight was at our son's 1st birthday party.

[RaceToTheTop]

I grew up in Steve Reish's hometown.  Reish played one year for Knight in the late 70s and it was only after a couple of players had been kicked off the team and he was asked to walk on (Reish averaged close to 30 points/game against small school competition in high school -- he was on a baseball scholarship at IU and later played minor league ball for the Blue Jays).  He only appeared in 11 games and after that season turned his attention directly to baseball.

After a few years in the minor leagues, he was likely going to get called up at some point in the next season.  As was common at that point, he held a part time job in the offseason to make ends meet and worked as a bartender in his home time.  After a late night shift one night, he fell asleep at the wheel and died in a one car accident.

Knight attended his visitation even though it certainly was in the middle of a very busy basketball season and would have had to have driven three hours each way.

[Chris007]

When I was 16 we had a guy come to our high school who wanted a couple of football players to work for his furniture company. That is when I met Fred Bimrose who owned Bimrose Furniture Company. Bob Knight was the spokesman for Bimrose. He would do a couple of commercials a year for them, and Fred would give him free furniture. Coach Knight would come into our showroom which was by IGA in Ellettsville to look around. He always had his fishing cap on, he would walk around looking at couches. We were told to never bother coach. If he found a couch he liked, he would sit on it and sometimes even lay down to take a small nap. It would be funny to walk into the showroom and see this large 6'6 man lying down with a fishing cap over his face. Even though we weren't allowed to talk to him, he would come down to the warehouse to talk to us delivery boys. He always asked how we were doing in school, what sports we played, and things like that. When we delivered furniture to his house, Karen would always make us drop it off in the garage and tell us Coach would make players come over to move things around. 

[Chris007]

One more quick story about how Coach Knight changed my wife's family. My FIL came to IU as an athletic trainer for the football team and also the track team a couple of years before Coach Knight was hired. When Coach Knight was hired IU athletics held a small ceremony welcoming Coach to the University. Coach Knight was from Orrville, OH and my FIL was from Canton, OH. Both towns are about 30 minutes apart so they both hit it off right away. Fast forward to 1982, Coach Corso is fired, and Sam Wyche is hired to be the new coach. On his first day at IU Wyche brings everyone who has anything to do with the football program into a big room. Stands up on a chair and says you all have been relieved of your duties, you may go home now.

My FIL walks back to his office in AH in disbelief, he sees Coach Knight, and Knight says what happened. My FIL says Wyche just fired everyone. He says Coach I have a 6 and 4-year-old at home, I don't know what I'm going to do. Coach Knight said go home wait by the phone and maybe someone will call. Soon after Bill Cook calls my FIL and offers him a job without ever meeting, seeing a resume, or anything. All on the word of Coach Knight. It turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to my FIL. Better hours, and more money, and he stayed with that job for the next 40 years. 

If Coach Knight liked you, he would do anything for you. 

[Stuhoo]

12 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

When I was 16 we had a guy come to our high school who wanted a couple of football players to work for his furniture company. That is when I met Fred Bimrose who owned Bimrose Furniture Company. Bob Knight was the spokesman for Bimrose. He would do a couple of commercials a year for them, and Fred would give him free furniture. Coach Knight would come into our showroom which was by IGA in Ellettsville to look around. He always had his fishing cap on, he would walk around looking at couches. We were told to never bother coach. If he found a couch he liked, he would sit on it and sometimes even lay down to take a small nap. It would be funny to walk into the showroom and see this large 6'6 man lying down with a fishing cap over his face. Even though we weren't allowed to talk to him, he would come down to the warehouse to talk to us delivery boys. He always asked how we were doing in school, what sports we played, and things like that. When we delivered furniture to his house, Karen would always make us drop it off in the garage and tell us Coach would make players come over to move things around. 

Highlighted IMO the extraordinary part of a wonderful post.

[JSHoosier]

Some of these stories show that calling Coach Knight complicated would be an understatement.  He could be a generous man, or an incredible boor that left you walking on eggshells; as much as he expected out of his players he rarely held himself to that standard.

I remember watching IU games with my dad when RMK was coaching.  Sometimes I think my dad, a 21 year Air Force vet, had a worse temper than Coach did.

[Scotty R]

My senior year in highschool (89) my best friend recruited me to play for the AG basketball team. I have no clue about AG but I had to take a class in order to play on the team. Our teacher and Coach was a PU alumni and wrote for the student paper.  Some how he had interviewed coach Knight when he was in school. Fast forward to my senior year and at a awards banquet our teacher brought me and my best friend up to the podium. He knew how much we loved IU and Coach Knight. He had contacted the IU athletic department and got us two autograph pictures of coach Knight. Both pictures were signed by coach himself and not just a stamp.

[8bucks]

My Dad used to put together these scrapbooks for his co-workers when they retired and would get pictures and contact coaches from their favorite college to see if they could add a quick note.  He did this for years but unfortunately, after 35 years with his company, his entire group was let go and he never had an opportunity for someone to make a scrapbook for him.  

So I thought, what the heck, and sent a letter to Coach to see if he would be willing to send my Dad a short note.  This was shortly after Coach had started to work at Texas Tech (interestingly the address for him at TT was on Indiana Avenue).  I knew sending this request was a long shot but I thought it was worth the effort.  I mailed the letter on a Monday and a return letter from coach arrived within the week.  Now I know a staffer may have done most of the work but there were some comments in the letter that made you realize Coach had some input.  One of the comments my Dad liked was how Coach compared their dismissals and recommended my Dad look out the front window and not the rearview mirror.  I remember looking at the dates and thinking that the return letter probably went out the same day they got the letter from me and for some reason that was something that really stood out to me.

Coach also sent me a short letter letting me know he had sent a letter.  I did not do a full scrapbook for my Dad since the letter when directly to him but my Dad hung that letter on the wall for years and he often wondered how Coach thought to write to him.

[8bucks]

My cousin's Grandmother had given him her season tickets and he was as big an IU fan as there is. The university once stepped in and tried to keep him from renewing the tickets and based on his teacher salary he would not have been able to see many games if he had to buy individual tickets.  Coach stepped in and made sure he did not lose these tickets.

[Dave from Dayton]

To this day, I am still floored by what happened at IU in the early '70's.  This is not my personal story.  It's Indiana basketball's story.  It's Coach Knight's story.

I was very young at 17 in the fall of '69 when I got a room at Briscoe Quad as a freshman.  Walking over to the football stadium and the basketball Fieldhouse was easy.  Sitting right next to the basketball court floor was a trip.  Those basketball players are so very large.  Sawdust and dirt floor of the Fieldhouse put a fog-like haze everywhere.  But IU wasn't doing really well.  In the last few years of Lou Watson...But he did get Steve Downing, Joby Wright and George McGinnis together along with a more than decent backcourt of John Ritter etc.   Do you realize just how imposing those giants were when they were dialed in?  But that was part of the downfall of Lou Watson.

In '70 -'71 the team was in position to compete for the B10 title.  But that team imploded.  Fans held signs messaging:  Lose Lou.  Team members talked to the administration about negative things about the head coach.  Lou Watson resigned.  Little did we know that the Hurryin' Hoosiers...running offense, was gone.  McGinnis bolted to the ABA.

In comes Bobby Knight.  31 years old.  A disciplinarian, defense first, man-to-man defense, methodical offense.  He had to tell the fans that if the opportunity arose, they would in fact go on a fast break, too.  A new stadium, too.  Assembly Hall...omg!

I enlisted in the Navy in February of 1971.  Was in for 4 years.  Learned about IU from the east coast and inside of a submarine deployed near Europe.  Re-enrolled in the fall of '75.  Got on the 'other Dean's List'.

In Bobby Knight's 2nd season, he took the Hoosiers to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.  Glory!  His second season!!!!  This!

We all know what happened in '75-'77.  The winningest program ever!  Bob Knight would take the microphone and school the fans.  More noise!  This is what we need to do...defense creates offensive opportunities.  Those other schools do not hold a candle to IU's willingness to work at basketball all of the time...on and off of the court.  My gf and I got engaged, IU won the NCAA Championship, and we graduated, got married.  (That was phenomenal!   I mean the basketball part...just kidding...well kind of.  Still very happily married to my sweetheart.)  I still reflect on IU beating Michigan...lol.  

That is what Coach Bob Knight did when he was in his 30's.  Brought Glory back to IU.  He loved it.  We loved the teams and him.  We bought in.   What a tale.  What a ride.  Thanks Coach Knight and the players...and staff.  

And he added 2 more NC banners!  

 

[OldBuddy67]

I played HS ball from 87-91. A thrill every fall was to go to the open practice in Assembly. One side was literally filed. One time in the lobby with with my HS coach, Coach Knight happened to be walking in and my HS Coach who had worked his camps said "Hi Coach" and he came over to speak to his under 5 year old son and I got to shake his hand. I'll never forget the 5 year old looking up at him. So intimidating to all of us really!

Another thrill that was so great and gives me goose bumps was when he'd walk in a minute or two before the tip off. Assembly went crazy!!

[Stuhoo]

"I don't care what the quality of the officiating is. We don't throw anything in here."

He was with us, and while he was the leader, at the same time he was echoing our thoughts and was one of us.

 

 

[Napleshoosier]

My favorites stories were when we WON natties!  Well there was that Puerto Rico “thing”!

[AZ Hoosier]

3 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

"I don't care what the quality of the officiating is. We don't throw anything in here (except a chair)."

He was with us, and while he was the leader, at the same time he was echoing our thoughts and was one of us.

Coach explained the chair toss (vs Purdue) on David Letterman

For one evening only in 1987, David Letterman’s TV show became Late Knight, as the Indiana University basketball coach came on for a sitdown. The catalyst: His IU Hoosiers’ recent seizure of a third national championship, thanks to Keith "The Shot" Smart. He also addressed That Chair Thing when Letterman prodded him about it late in the interview.

“People jump at conclusions automatically with the thing. But the game is going on, and I hear somebody across the floor keep hollering, ‘Coach! Coach! Coach Knight!’ And I get all kinds of suggestions; I try not to pay any attention to it. … Here’s a little old lady across the floor that reminded me of my grandmother. … And I said, ‘Did you want me for something?’ And she just said, ‘If you’re not going to sit down any more today than you have so far, could I have your chair?'” At that, Letterman and his audience skip a beat—just a beat—before laughing genuinely at Knight’s retelling of his rather tall tale.

[Tom White]

2 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

"I don't care what the quality of the officiating is. We don't throw anything in here."

Well, unless it's a chair.