Bobby Knight famous for both victories and outbursts, dies at 83

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Glad he and IU made amends before his death, but that last public appearance was really sad. I thought he was sloshed but then told he never imbibed. The cognitive decline had to have been accelerating at the time.

Whoever called him complicated was correct but also charitable. That rant in the clip above is emblematic of his raw self centeredness. It wasn’t about them playing bad but how it made him look. Good example of success and power allowing passes for terrible behavior. How choking a kid in practice stays private for as long as that did, even back then, is both amazing and evidence of the fear he put into people who might challenge him.
 

Holy Man said:
Glad he and IU made amends before his death, but that last public appearance was really sad. I thought he was sloshed but then told he never imbibed. The cognitive decline had to have been accelerating at the time.

Whoever called him complicated was correct but also charitable. That rant in the clip above is emblematic of his raw self centeredness. It wasn’t about them playing bad but how it made him look. Good example of success and power allowing passes for terrible behavior. How choking a kid in practice stays private for as long as that did, even back then, is both amazing and evidence of the fear he put into people who might challenge him.
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Thank you for saying what need to be said. I don't think he was complicated at all - he was a jerk and a bully, period. Some people deify/excuse that behavior if you manage to win in whatever arena you compete. He was toxic, none of which can be glossed over with the reflexive good deeds he did to counter his sins. I hope he rests in turmoil.

Then again you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, so I'll say this. Bobby Knight is dead. Good.
 

He famously would never play Kentucky, even though it would have been a great regional/national rivalry.

When asked why, he zinged, some players get FedEx envelopes with cash and some don’t - I’ll leave it to you to figure out which ones we are. This was a shot at the Cars and the infamous Kenny Sky Walker episode, where a poorly sealed FedEx envelope popped open and 10K cam falling out. He hated cheaters more than anything else and also loathed Pitino for his dubious recruiting practices.

I’m grinning as I write this post from yesteryear and the joy in reading that SI article several times about those shenanigans.
 

My wife and i were at Vescios a couple times when Bobby was in town. They would be joined by Bud Grant and Flip Saunders Sid and others. Same table. They are all gone now including Vescios-and sadly my wife too. How life changes.
 



Gold Rush said:
He was a great coach, one of the greatest coaches of all time. He probably would have been a great football or baseball coach if he had decided to coach those sports. Listening to his broadcasts were very interesting and I always learned something about basketball when I watched.

I always felt sorry for his players after I saw them lose because I knew they were in big trouble from his wrath!! If you have the time, read the book "A season on the brink" by John Feinstein who spent a season with inside access with the Hoosiers and is a phenomenal read. (Knight read part of it and threw it in the trash - lol)

He was a big fan of the Chip Hilton sports books which I am a huge fan of - they were written by the legendary basketball coach Clair Bee. They might be a bit outdated but I always thought they were the best sports series books ever written.

I felt bad when I heard of his passing - I really admired a lot of things about him.
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I consider that book essential for a fan who's interested, not just in him and that program, but the game itself during Knight's time in it. Great read.
 

formerlybis said:
Thank you for saying what need to be said. I don't think he was complicated at all - he was a jerk and a bully, period. Some people deify/excuse that behavior if you manage to win in whatever arena you compete. He was toxic, none of which can be glossed over with the reflexive good deeds he did to counter his sins. I hope he rests in turmoil.

Then again you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, so I'll say this. Bobby Knight is dead. Good.
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Very sorry you felt the need to post something like this.

Far, far, FAR too much good to outweigh the bad in cases like Coach Knight. Despised him for decades as the Hoosiers coach, but an incredible teacher of the game of basketball. Someone who can only cling to what was posted here has never taken the time to see all the good and charitable work, the personal human element of things the man did that went unpublicized (as some of posted here already).

A lifetime spent preparing young men to be grown men, adults in the real world, and yes, most definitely a few regrettable hiccups along the way. You'll forgive me if I look at the complete body of work before judging another man's life and accomplishments.

With any luck you feel better after unloading your feelings here
 

Holy Man said:
I have an active interest in this and I am wondering where.
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You know, my immediate thought was heaven and nothing else crossed my mind. Now, you gotta go and disrupt all my calm peaceful thoughts. :)
 



Ope3 said:
Reusse article on Knight:

www.startribune.com

Legendary Indiana coach Bobby Knight and his temper loom large in Minnesota memories

With his old-school attitude, longevity and track record of success, it's hard to imagine decades of Gophers basketball without Bobby Knight, who died Wednesday, as antagonist.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
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An incredible story…almost unbelievable but probably true. Even with his memory problems, I imagine he never forget any of his many vendettas. A vengeful man.
 
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Holy Man said:
Glad he and IU made amends before his death, but that last public appearance was really sad. I thought he was sloshed but then told he never imbibed. The cognitive decline had to have been accelerating at the time.

Whoever called him complicated was correct but also charitable. That rant in the clip above is emblematic of his raw self centeredness. It wasn’t about them playing bad but how it made him look. Good example of success and power allowing passes for terrible behavior. How choking a kid in practice stays private for as long as that did, even back then, is both amazing and evidence of the fear he put into people who might challenge him.
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No post intended.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
He famously would never play Kentucky, even though it would have been a great regional/national rivalry.

When asked why, he zinged, some players get FedEx envelopes with cash and some don’t - I’ll leave it to you to figure out which ones we are.
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Haha you must be thinking of someone else or another team.

Indiana and Kentucky played each other every season of Knight's tenure, and sometimes more than once.
 




Thoughts and prayers to Karen Knight and family.

A great Bob Knight story for you. He would come pheasant hunting in Montana and we also packed 35 miles in on horses for a fly fishing trip with him. I was also able to attend his Texas Tech basketball camp while in high school. Both Bob and Karen were great to be around.

My family owned a sporting goods store. Knight and his crew were headed to pheasant hunt with my dad that morning. They were supposed to be to the field within the hour and Knight's crew was taking quite awhile visiting in the store. Dad finally looked at Knight and said "are you going to buy some shotgun shells or just throw chairs at the birds today?" Knight did not respond and did not talk to Dad most of the day. Finally in the afternoon he walked up to my dad in the field, put his arm around him, and said "that was pretty f'n funny". Ever since then they got along great!
 

gopherfrommt said:
Thoughts and prayers to Karen Knight and family.

A great Bob Knight story for you. He would come pheasant hunting in Montana and we also packed 35 miles in on horses for a fly fishing trip with him. I was also able to attend his Texas Tech basketball camp while in high school. Both Bob and Karen were great to be around.

My family owned a sporting goods store. Knight and his crew were headed to pheasant hunt with my dad that morning. They were supposed to be to the field within the hour and Knight's crew was taking quite awhile visiting in the store. Dad finally looked at Knight and said "are you going to buy some shotgun shells or just throw chairs at the birds today?" Knight did not respond and did not talk to Dad most of the day. Finally in the afternoon he walked up to my dad in the field, put his arm around him, and said "that was pretty f'n funny". Ever since then they got along great!
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I’m happy your dad wasn’t chocked-out over that joke. Was Knight a pretty Good shot on the pheasants?
 

gopherfrommt said:
Thoughts and prayers to Karen Knight and family.

A great Bob Knight story for you. He would come pheasant hunting in Montana and we also packed 35 miles in on horses for a fly fishing trip with him. I was also able to attend his Texas Tech basketball camp while in high school. Both Bob and Karen were great to be around.

My family owned a sporting goods store. Knight and his crew were headed to pheasant hunt with my dad that morning. They were supposed to be to the field within the hour and Knight's crew was taking quite awhile visiting in the store. Dad finally looked at Knight and said "are you going to buy some shotgun shells or just throw chairs at the birds today?" Knight did not respond and did not talk to Dad most of the day. Finally in the afternoon he walked up to my dad in the field, put his arm around him, and said "that was pretty f'n funny". Ever since then they got along great!
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That's a pretty damn cool story. Well done
 




formerlybis said:
Thank you for saying what need to be said. I don't think he was complicated at all - he was a jerk and a bully, period. Some people deify/excuse that behavior if you manage to win in whatever arena you compete. He was toxic, none of which can be glossed over with the reflexive good deeds he did to counter his sins. I hope he rests in turmoil.

Then again you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, so I'll say this. Bobby Knight is dead. Good.
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Very difficult to argue with this. Never respected him as a human being. If he was a CEO of "shithead cosmetics" and treated people the same, I doubt he would be thought of as "hall of fame". He would be sued.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
He famously would never play Kentucky, even though it would have been a great regional/national rivalry.

When asked why, he zinged, some players get FedEx envelopes with cash and some don’t - I’ll leave it to you to figure out which ones we are. This was a shot at the Cars and the infamous Kenny Sky Walker episode, where a poorly sealed FedEx envelope popped open and 10K cam falling out. He hated cheaters more than anything else and also loathed Pitino for his dubious recruiting practices.

I’m grinning as I write this post from yesteryear and the joy in reading that SI article several times about those shenanigans.
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I think that was a Emery package headed for Chris Mills in LA from UK. Busted open at the airport. Of course the Kentucky folks said it was a video tape.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
I think that was a Emery package headed for Chris Mills in LA from UK. Busted open at the airport. Of course the Kentucky folks said it was a video tape.
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Of course it was. You’re never supposed to send cash in the mail.
 


formerlybis said:
Thank you for saying what need to be said. I don't think he was complicated at all - he was a jerk and a bully, period. Some people deify/excuse that behavior if you manage to win in whatever arena you compete. He was toxic, none of which can be glossed over with the reflexive good deeds he did to counter his sins. I hope he rests in turmoil.

Then again you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, so I'll say this. Bobby Knight is dead. Good.
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You already did speak ill of the dead. Does your keyboard not have a delete function? You types this after you said you hoped he "rests in turmoil". Just stand by your opinion. Then again, I'm not shocked that someone who would type something like this out would also be a passive aggressive tw@t.

To your point, do you really want everyone who is a jerk to be dead? Then you want them to rest in turmoil? Even if someone's good deeds don't outweigh their bad - - you want death? LOL. I think you were just being a cringelord tw@t and you don't really believe the stuff your typing.
 





Here's a Bobby Knight story. I heard it so take it as real or apocryphal.

Bobby, after retirement, loved to bass fish and he found that the lakes near Voyageurs National Park had great bass fishing.

One day he stops into the local cafe where a Minnesota hall of fame high school coach who won over 500 games was sitting with friends. They recognize Bobby and start talking. Bobby asks the coach about his career and the coach tells him he took 3 teams down to the State tournament. Bobby asks him how many championships he won. The coach says, "Well, none." Bobby thinks for a moment and then, with a wry smile on his face, says "Well then, I guess you ain't done shit!" He gets up, pays for his bill and goes off fishing.

God bless Bobby Knight. 😏
 


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