Unforgettable Moments with Knight Recalled

Fiery Indiana coach discussed Michigan's Schembechler, Cameron after a Hoosiers practice during his glory days, won first NCAA title game against Orr's maize and blue and loved a good confrontation

Photos Courtesy of Indiana University Athletics

Robert Montgomery Knight, who won three NCAA championships at Indiana and 902 games overall, could be a charmer when he wanted to be.

Future Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, the lone NBA All-Star Bob Knight coached, points out a game development during a break in the action.

By Steve Kornacki

Bob Knight had granted me a one-on-one interview and I was invited to watch his Hoosiers practice before we talked.

I was working on a story on Cam Cameron, a rising star offensive assistant coach for the Wolverines who had quarterbacked Indiana and also played basketball for Knight. I knew he loved Cam and that he made time to talk about his former players.

This was going to be a pretty special opportunity.

Practice was exactly what you would expect from Knight. He drove his players hard, taught them plenty, and insisted on great effort in striving for perfection.

When practice ended, a member of the sports information staff walked me over to Knight and introduced us while mentioning our interview.

Knight looked away from me, bristling, and said, “I don’t have time for this [crap].”

I shook my head and chuckled.

This was sure to infuriate the coach with the reputation for having the hottest temper in college athletics.

Knight, eyes blazing, said, “That’s a very unusual reaction to what I just said.”

Man, was I in a bad spot.

But then I explained my reaction: “You are so much like Bo [Schembechler]. That’s what made me smile.”

Knight’s eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily.

“C’mon,” he said, placing an arm around me briefly. “Let’s head to my office and talk about Cam and Bo.”

Just like that, a disaster had become a connection.

Schembechler was in his final years as Michigan’s coach, and a very dear friend of Knight’s. Bo grew up in Barberton, Ohio, and Bob in Orrville – two towns near Akron separated by 17 miles.

They came from the same area and were cut from the same cloth.

I always suspected Bo had something to do with Bob giving me his time, and conversing in his dark, cozy office was a joy.

Several years later, I had the opportunity to cover Knight and IU for the Bloomington Herald-Times. Bob Hammel, a good friend, selected me as his replacement in the mid-1990s, when the writing legend and Knight confidante was retiring as sports editor and columnist. I went down and spent two days, got the offer, but decided to stay at the Detroit Free Press.

Sports Illustrated employed me as a correspondent back then, and asked me to put several questions to Knight one year at the Big Ten basketball meetings. I researched them and put those questions to him in a group setting.

The first question was about whether the lane in college basketball should be enlarged. That was being discussed as a change.

Knight made eye contact with me and asked, “What do you think? Should it be changed and why should it be changed if that’s the case?”

I can’t remember my exact answer, but Knight approved of it. And I got my questions in, and filed his responses for the magazine.

Those were different times. Coaches grilled reporters. You had to win their respect or you would get nowhere with the tough ones.

Knight tested everyone – his players, coaches, opponents, reporters and anyone who came into his realm.

He was 83 when he died after a lengthy illness Wednesday in Bloomington.

Knight had 662 of his 902 wins at Indiana, and that victory total was the most in the history of college basketball upon his retirement at Texas Tech in 2008. He had been forced out at IU in 2000 because there were times when his temper got the best of him. And for all the wisdom and love he imparted on his players, those failings are part of his legacy, too.

He won three final fours – 1976, 1981 and 1987. And that first title came against Michigan in the championship game in Philadelphia with an 86-68 win over Coach Johnny Orr’s team led by lightning-quick point guard Rickey Green and silky-smooth forward Phil Hubbard.

The Wolverines actually led, 35-29, at the half. But Knight’s team dominated the second half, 57-33, and rode All-Americans Scott May (26 points) and Kent Benson (25 points) to his first championship with college basketball’s last perfect team (32-0).

There very nearly was another Indiana-Michigan championship game in 1992. But Duke, coached by Knight pupil Mike Krzyzewski in his years at Army, beat the Hoosiers, 81-78, in the Final Four semi-finals in Minneapolis. Then the Blue Devils beat the Fab Five Wolverines of Steve Fisher in the title game.

That turned out being the last game Knight coached in five Final Four appearances.

He did all he did with exactly one future NBA All-Star on his rosters: Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons. That’s amazing when you consider Fisher coached three All-Stars – Juwan Howard, Glen Rice and Chris Webber -- in eight full seasons and one postseason at Michigan.

Knight commanded your attention, demanded your respect and was bigger than life.

And now he’s gone.

One thing’s for sure. We’ll never forget him.

Bob Knight has his left arm around former Hoosiers point guard Isiah Thomas, while his son, Patrick Knight, claps in an emotional moment during his return to Assembly Hall in 2020 after 20 years away from Bloomington. Patrick played and coached for Bob at Indiana. He’s now a scout for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, and also was an assistant at Texas Tech and the head coach at Lamar University.