Bobby Knight Resigns Head Coaching Position
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GuilewasNK
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That came out of nowhere.
Monsta Mack
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Best. Coach. Ever.
Zenithian Legend
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Really weird. I liked when he kicked his son, more fathers should do that on TV. On a serious note though, I hope he's ok. This odd retirement seems kind of like Rick Majerus' when he left abruptly for health reasons.
pitfallharry219
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Rick Majerus has done odder things than that.
From Sports Illustrated:
From Sports Illustrated:
bigdaddy
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[quote name='Zenithian Legend']Really weird. I liked when he kicked his son, more fathers should do that on TV. On a serious note though, I hope he's ok. This odd retirement seems kind of like Rick Majerus' when he left abruptly for health reasons.[/quote]
I hope the
er is dieing from some terrible disease.
I hope the
er is dieing from some terrible disease.
GuilewasNK
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Bobby Knight is a great coach, but he is too much of a jackass. You can be tough on players without acting like a dick to every person that speaks to you.
hiccupleftovers
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[quote name='GuilewasNK']That came out of nowhere.[/quote]
This was my reaction.
This was my reaction.
lordxixor101
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It is odd when people retire out of nowhere. Now, yeah, Knight was a jackass. Still, he seemed genuinely loved by many people he worked with. He just doesn't hide that part of his life (come on, you know all those people that seem really nice, you know they yell and scream when the cameras aren't on).
I hope he's ok. Still, 30 years in the business, he has a plan to exit, I can see just wanting to be done. He isn't doing it for the money at this stage. He has the records, and his team isn't good enough to win it all. What would be his motivation at this stage?
I hope he's ok. Still, 30 years in the business, he has a plan to exit, I can see just wanting to be done. He isn't doing it for the money at this stage. He has the records, and his team isn't good enough to win it all. What would be his motivation at this stage?
Pat Forde has an excellent write up about Knight on espn.com:
If this is it and Bob Knight has really just folded and walked in midseason, it's one more hypocritical moment in a career full of them.
Knight has always been a putative disciplinarian who lacked self-discipline. Now a man who demands loyalty has abandoned a Texas Tech team that is 12-8 (3-3 Big 12) and No. 54 in the RPI -- in other words, still harboring NCAA Tournament hopes. Along the way, the guy who has always disdained individual player glory sure didn't quit before he reached that 900-victory plateau, did he?
So now Knight takes his record 902 wins and quits. Bobby Petrino was charbroiled for leaving the Atlanta Falcons with three games left and the team at 3-10, but The General surrenders with at least 11 games to go and we're supposed to give him a pass?
I don't think so. Not if there are no health issues attached for him or anyone in his immediate family, and by all indications from those surrounding Knight, there are none. Remember, this is a guy who signed a three-year contract extension in September.
Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the timing was largely to benefit his son and successor, Pat.
"My thinking was that for Pat and for this team -- most of which is returning next year -- the best thing for the long run for this team would be for Pat and his staff to coach these remaining 10 [regular-season] games," Knight said, according to the paper. "And [to] get an understanding, get a real feel for each other, be able to think over the course of the spring and summer going into next season about how people had played, how things had been done offensively or defensively, what could be done or couldn't be done, what to stay away from, what to work on and develop that from a game standpoint as the coach in charge of everything rather than as an assistant coach."
That's nice for Pat Knight, who has a chance to be a very successful head coach. But what about the four seniors on the Tech roster: leading scorer Martin Zeno, No. 3 assist man Charlie Burgess and reserves Esmir Rizvic and Tyler Hoffmeister? How do they feel about having the last weeks of their college careers turned over to on-the-job training for the coach's son?
You'll hear a lot in the coming days about Bob Knight doing this "on his terms." Of course he did. When has Bob Knight ever done anything that was not on his terms? He is a walking one-way street.
The irony of this is where Knight's terms left him in the end.
Knight's terms left him at a remote basketball backwater on the Texas prairie, where the stands at the home gym are rarely full. Knight's terms left him a bit player on the national stage, his relevance leaking steadily as he made Texas Tech basketball better but couldn't make it matter. Knight's terms left him far from the basketball mecca where he had his greatest glory and became a polarizing icon in the sport.
If Knight had been willing to budge off "his terms" -- to treat people with the respect he always demanded, to refrain from bullying, to avoid the abusive behavior -- this moment would be far different.
The tribute would be unanimous and universal.
Had he not blown himself up with toxic temper at Indiana University, they could have run a parade route through the state from East Chicago to Vevay, and fans would have lined every mile of it. And he would have been closer to 1,000 wins than 900.
Had he managed to avoid confrontation instead of seeking it, his respect would be as widespread as John Wooden's, Dean Smith's and Mike Krzyzewski's. Because he's a better pure coach than Smith, at least as good as Krzyzewski and in the argument with Wooden. They all have had better talent than Knight.
It would be nice if Robert Montgomery Knight could simply be remembered and revered for three national titles, for 32-0, for the Olympic gold medal, for being the maestro of motion offense and the nonnegotiable believer in man-to-man defense. It would be nice if the career highlight reel stopped after testimonials from Buckner and May and Benson and Isiah and Alford and Cheaney. It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.
But nice was never part of the package with Knight. Which is why he'll also be remembered for the thrown chair and the choked player and the grabbed student at the end in Bloomington. It's why the player testimonials will be interspersed with tape of bellowed profanities, head-butted players and more burned bridges than a brigade of pyromaniacs could produce. It's why the divorce from IU became so bitter, and why his name probably will never adorn that Assembly Hall hardwood.
In the end, it feels hollow for Bob Knight to shuffle offstage on a February Monday, far from the spotlight of his sport and nearly three years removed from his last NCAA Tournament victory. At least he did not exit in Woody Hayes fashion, as had often been feared and forecast, but there is something un-General-like about it.
Perhaps this is it:
He is often championed by people who believe he stood for old-fashioned American values. Finishing what you start is one of those values, and now Bob Knight has contradicted his mythology one last time by walking out on the job.
If this is it and Bob Knight has really just folded and walked in midseason, it's one more hypocritical moment in a career full of them.
Knight has always been a putative disciplinarian who lacked self-discipline. Now a man who demands loyalty has abandoned a Texas Tech team that is 12-8 (3-3 Big 12) and No. 54 in the RPI -- in other words, still harboring NCAA Tournament hopes. Along the way, the guy who has always disdained individual player glory sure didn't quit before he reached that 900-victory plateau, did he?
So now Knight takes his record 902 wins and quits. Bobby Petrino was charbroiled for leaving the Atlanta Falcons with three games left and the team at 3-10, but The General surrenders with at least 11 games to go and we're supposed to give him a pass?
I don't think so. Not if there are no health issues attached for him or anyone in his immediate family, and by all indications from those surrounding Knight, there are none. Remember, this is a guy who signed a three-year contract extension in September.
Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the timing was largely to benefit his son and successor, Pat.
"My thinking was that for Pat and for this team -- most of which is returning next year -- the best thing for the long run for this team would be for Pat and his staff to coach these remaining 10 [regular-season] games," Knight said, according to the paper. "And [to] get an understanding, get a real feel for each other, be able to think over the course of the spring and summer going into next season about how people had played, how things had been done offensively or defensively, what could be done or couldn't be done, what to stay away from, what to work on and develop that from a game standpoint as the coach in charge of everything rather than as an assistant coach."
That's nice for Pat Knight, who has a chance to be a very successful head coach. But what about the four seniors on the Tech roster: leading scorer Martin Zeno, No. 3 assist man Charlie Burgess and reserves Esmir Rizvic and Tyler Hoffmeister? How do they feel about having the last weeks of their college careers turned over to on-the-job training for the coach's son?
You'll hear a lot in the coming days about Bob Knight doing this "on his terms." Of course he did. When has Bob Knight ever done anything that was not on his terms? He is a walking one-way street.
The irony of this is where Knight's terms left him in the end.
Knight's terms left him at a remote basketball backwater on the Texas prairie, where the stands at the home gym are rarely full. Knight's terms left him a bit player on the national stage, his relevance leaking steadily as he made Texas Tech basketball better but couldn't make it matter. Knight's terms left him far from the basketball mecca where he had his greatest glory and became a polarizing icon in the sport.
If Knight had been willing to budge off "his terms" -- to treat people with the respect he always demanded, to refrain from bullying, to avoid the abusive behavior -- this moment would be far different.
The tribute would be unanimous and universal.
Had he not blown himself up with toxic temper at Indiana University, they could have run a parade route through the state from East Chicago to Vevay, and fans would have lined every mile of it. And he would have been closer to 1,000 wins than 900.
Had he managed to avoid confrontation instead of seeking it, his respect would be as widespread as John Wooden's, Dean Smith's and Mike Krzyzewski's. Because he's a better pure coach than Smith, at least as good as Krzyzewski and in the argument with Wooden. They all have had better talent than Knight.
It would be nice if Robert Montgomery Knight could simply be remembered and revered for three national titles, for 32-0, for the Olympic gold medal, for being the maestro of motion offense and the nonnegotiable believer in man-to-man defense. It would be nice if the career highlight reel stopped after testimonials from Buckner and May and Benson and Isiah and Alford and Cheaney. It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.
But nice was never part of the package with Knight. Which is why he'll also be remembered for the thrown chair and the choked player and the grabbed student at the end in Bloomington. It's why the player testimonials will be interspersed with tape of bellowed profanities, head-butted players and more burned bridges than a brigade of pyromaniacs could produce. It's why the divorce from IU became so bitter, and why his name probably will never adorn that Assembly Hall hardwood.
In the end, it feels hollow for Bob Knight to shuffle offstage on a February Monday, far from the spotlight of his sport and nearly three years removed from his last NCAA Tournament victory. At least he did not exit in Woody Hayes fashion, as had often been feared and forecast, but there is something un-General-like about it.
Perhaps this is it:
He is often championed by people who believe he stood for old-fashioned American values. Finishing what you start is one of those values, and now Bob Knight has contradicted his mythology one last time by walking out on the job.
hohez
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[quote name='wubb']Yeah leaving mid-season is pretty weak unless there are reasons that aren't being made public.
Certainly sounds like he's just trying to make sure his son is in the best position possible to continue on as the head coach.[/quote]
Agreed^
Although nothing he ever did was nearly as bad as the media made it out to be.
Certainly sounds like he's just trying to make sure his son is in the best position possible to continue on as the head coach.[/quote]
Agreed^
Although nothing he ever did was nearly as bad as the media made it out to be.
[quote name='munch']Pat Forde has an excellent write up about Knight on espn.com:
If this is it and Bob Knight has really just folded and walked in midseason, it's one more hypocritical moment in a career full of them.
Knight has always been a putative disciplinarian who lacked self-discipline. Now a man who demands loyalty has abandoned a Texas Tech team that is 12-8 (3-3 Big 12) and No. 54 in the RPI -- in other words, still harboring NCAA Tournament hopes. Along the way, the guy who has always disdained individual player glory sure didn't quit before he reached that 900-victory plateau, did he?
So now Knight takes his record 902 wins and quits. Bobby Petrino was charbroiled for leaving the Atlanta Falcons with three games left and the team at 3-10, but The General surrenders with at least 11 games to go and we're supposed to give him a pass?
I don't think so. Not if there are no health issues attached for him or anyone in his immediate family, and by all indications from those surrounding Knight, there are none. Remember, this is a guy who signed a three-year contract extension in September.
Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the timing was largely to benefit his son and successor, Pat.
"My thinking was that for Pat and for this team -- most of which is returning next year -- the best thing for the long run for this team would be for Pat and his staff to coach these remaining 10 [regular-season] games," Knight said, according to the paper. "And [to] get an understanding, get a real feel for each other, be able to think over the course of the spring and summer going into next season about how people had played, how things had been done offensively or defensively, what could be done or couldn't be done, what to stay away from, what to work on and develop that from a game standpoint as the coach in charge of everything rather than as an assistant coach."
That's nice for Pat Knight, who has a chance to be a very successful head coach. But what about the four seniors on the Tech roster: leading scorer Martin Zeno, No. 3 assist man Charlie Burgess and reserves Esmir Rizvic and Tyler Hoffmeister? How do they feel about having the last weeks of their college careers turned over to on-the-job training for the coach's son?
You'll hear a lot in the coming days about Bob Knight doing this "on his terms." Of course he did. When has Bob Knight ever done anything that was not on his terms? He is a walking one-way street.
The irony of this is where Knight's terms left him in the end.
Knight's terms left him at a remote basketball backwater on the Texas prairie, where the stands at the home gym are rarely full. Knight's terms left him a bit player on the national stage, his relevance leaking steadily as he made Texas Tech basketball better but couldn't make it matter. Knight's terms left him far from the basketball mecca where he had his greatest glory and became a polarizing icon in the sport.
If Knight had been willing to budge off "his terms" -- to treat people with the respect he always demanded, to refrain from bullying, to avoid the abusive behavior -- this moment would be far different.
The tribute would be unanimous and universal.
Had he not blown himself up with toxic temper at Indiana University, they could have run a parade route through the state from East Chicago to Vevay, and fans would have lined every mile of it. And he would have been closer to 1,000 wins than 900.
Had he managed to avoid confrontation instead of seeking it, his respect would be as widespread as John Wooden's, Dean Smith's and Mike Krzyzewski's. Because he's a better pure coach than Smith, at least as good as Krzyzewski and in the argument with Wooden. They all have had better talent than Knight.
It would be nice if Robert Montgomery Knight could simply be remembered and revered for three national titles, for 32-0, for the Olympic gold medal, for being the maestro of motion offense and the nonnegotiable believer in man-to-man defense. It would be nice if the career highlight reel stopped after testimonials from Buckner and May and Benson and Isiah and Alford and Cheaney. It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.
But nice was never part of the package with Knight. Which is why he'll also be remembered for the thrown chair and the choked player and the grabbed student at the end in Bloomington. It's why the player testimonials will be interspersed with tape of bellowed profanities, head-butted players and more burned bridges than a brigade of pyromaniacs could produce. It's why the divorce from IU became so bitter, and why his name probably will never adorn that Assembly Hall hardwood.
In the end, it feels hollow for Bob Knight to shuffle offstage on a February Monday, far from the spotlight of his sport and nearly three years removed from his last NCAA Tournament victory. At least he did not exit in Woody Hayes fashion, as had often been feared and forecast, but there is something un-General-like about it.
Perhaps this is it:
He is often championed by people who believe he stood for old-fashioned American values. Finishing what you start is one of those values, and now Bob Knight has contradicted his mythology one last time by walking out on the job.[/QUOTE]
Please don't ever, ever compare Bob Knight to Bobby Petrino (he's scum). Pat Forde (just because he's on espn doesn't make him the authority on anything) has his own agenda and has never liked Bob Knight.
Bottom line is that Bob Knight has enough equity to just walk away at any point, but this decision seems to be based on Knight wanting to put his son in the best position possible.
If this is it and Bob Knight has really just folded and walked in midseason, it's one more hypocritical moment in a career full of them.
Knight has always been a putative disciplinarian who lacked self-discipline. Now a man who demands loyalty has abandoned a Texas Tech team that is 12-8 (3-3 Big 12) and No. 54 in the RPI -- in other words, still harboring NCAA Tournament hopes. Along the way, the guy who has always disdained individual player glory sure didn't quit before he reached that 900-victory plateau, did he?
So now Knight takes his record 902 wins and quits. Bobby Petrino was charbroiled for leaving the Atlanta Falcons with three games left and the team at 3-10, but The General surrenders with at least 11 games to go and we're supposed to give him a pass?
I don't think so. Not if there are no health issues attached for him or anyone in his immediate family, and by all indications from those surrounding Knight, there are none. Remember, this is a guy who signed a three-year contract extension in September.
Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the timing was largely to benefit his son and successor, Pat.
"My thinking was that for Pat and for this team -- most of which is returning next year -- the best thing for the long run for this team would be for Pat and his staff to coach these remaining 10 [regular-season] games," Knight said, according to the paper. "And [to] get an understanding, get a real feel for each other, be able to think over the course of the spring and summer going into next season about how people had played, how things had been done offensively or defensively, what could be done or couldn't be done, what to stay away from, what to work on and develop that from a game standpoint as the coach in charge of everything rather than as an assistant coach."
That's nice for Pat Knight, who has a chance to be a very successful head coach. But what about the four seniors on the Tech roster: leading scorer Martin Zeno, No. 3 assist man Charlie Burgess and reserves Esmir Rizvic and Tyler Hoffmeister? How do they feel about having the last weeks of their college careers turned over to on-the-job training for the coach's son?
You'll hear a lot in the coming days about Bob Knight doing this "on his terms." Of course he did. When has Bob Knight ever done anything that was not on his terms? He is a walking one-way street.
The irony of this is where Knight's terms left him in the end.
Knight's terms left him at a remote basketball backwater on the Texas prairie, where the stands at the home gym are rarely full. Knight's terms left him a bit player on the national stage, his relevance leaking steadily as he made Texas Tech basketball better but couldn't make it matter. Knight's terms left him far from the basketball mecca where he had his greatest glory and became a polarizing icon in the sport.
If Knight had been willing to budge off "his terms" -- to treat people with the respect he always demanded, to refrain from bullying, to avoid the abusive behavior -- this moment would be far different.
The tribute would be unanimous and universal.
Had he not blown himself up with toxic temper at Indiana University, they could have run a parade route through the state from East Chicago to Vevay, and fans would have lined every mile of it. And he would have been closer to 1,000 wins than 900.
Had he managed to avoid confrontation instead of seeking it, his respect would be as widespread as John Wooden's, Dean Smith's and Mike Krzyzewski's. Because he's a better pure coach than Smith, at least as good as Krzyzewski and in the argument with Wooden. They all have had better talent than Knight.
It would be nice if Robert Montgomery Knight could simply be remembered and revered for three national titles, for 32-0, for the Olympic gold medal, for being the maestro of motion offense and the nonnegotiable believer in man-to-man defense. It would be nice if the career highlight reel stopped after testimonials from Buckner and May and Benson and Isiah and Alford and Cheaney. It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.
But nice was never part of the package with Knight. Which is why he'll also be remembered for the thrown chair and the choked player and the grabbed student at the end in Bloomington. It's why the player testimonials will be interspersed with tape of bellowed profanities, head-butted players and more burned bridges than a brigade of pyromaniacs could produce. It's why the divorce from IU became so bitter, and why his name probably will never adorn that Assembly Hall hardwood.
In the end, it feels hollow for Bob Knight to shuffle offstage on a February Monday, far from the spotlight of his sport and nearly three years removed from his last NCAA Tournament victory. At least he did not exit in Woody Hayes fashion, as had often been feared and forecast, but there is something un-General-like about it.
Perhaps this is it:
He is often championed by people who believe he stood for old-fashioned American values. Finishing what you start is one of those values, and now Bob Knight has contradicted his mythology one last time by walking out on the job.[/QUOTE]
Please don't ever, ever compare Bob Knight to Bobby Petrino (he's scum). Pat Forde (just because he's on espn doesn't make him the authority on anything) has his own agenda and has never liked Bob Knight.
Bottom line is that Bob Knight has enough equity to just walk away at any point, but this decision seems to be based on Knight wanting to put his son in the best position possible.
Zenithian Legend
Banned
The media loves an animated villian. Think of Bob Knight as the Kefka of the NCAA. He's the guy everyone loves to hate, but secretly you find hilarious.
That Rick Majerus story was great by the way, I think more coaches should expose themselves to their players. Kind let's 'em know who's in charge here.
That Rick Majerus story was great by the way, I think more coaches should expose themselves to their players. Kind let's 'em know who's in charge here.
[quote name='kill3r7']Please don't ever, ever compare Bob Knight to Bobby Petrino (he's scum). Pat Forde (just because he's on espn doesn't make him the authority on anything) has his own agenda and has never liked Bob Knight.
Bottom line is that Bob Knight has enough equity to just walk away at any point, but this decision seems to be based on Knight wanting to put his son in the best position possible.[/QUOTE]
I could care less about Bob Knight or Bobby Petrino. Regardless of their reasons, they both left their teams for not so great reasons. You can spin it however you want, but Bob Knight shouldn't be praised for what he did at Tech.
Bottom line is that Bob Knight has enough equity to just walk away at any point, but this decision seems to be based on Knight wanting to put his son in the best position possible.[/QUOTE]
I could care less about Bob Knight or Bobby Petrino. Regardless of their reasons, they both left their teams for not so great reasons. You can spin it however you want, but Bob Knight shouldn't be praised for what he did at Tech.
GuilewasNK
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Although Bob Knight is an ass, I have no problem with him leaving when he did. Just like any other job, if you have had enough, leave. It's your right and anyone else would do the same in any other job.
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Although Bob Knight is an ass, I have no problem with him leaving when he did. Just like any other job, if you have had enough, leave. It's your right and anyone else would do the same in any other job.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this for most jobs but for jobs where there is a natural off time (like teaching, coaching, etc) you stick it out until that off time to retire unless you have a good reason. That's my opinion anyway.
And with coaching there is the added wrinkle of what did he tell recruits over the last few years? Now he's not a young guy so really they should have expected there was a more than remote chance they'd end up playing a time for his son and been cool with that.
Now the Falcons coach that left mid season for another coaching job is even worse IMO. Hard to believe a college would want a guy that would bail on his team in mid season. He'd obviously do the same thing to you...
I agree with this for most jobs but for jobs where there is a natural off time (like teaching, coaching, etc) you stick it out until that off time to retire unless you have a good reason. That's my opinion anyway.
And with coaching there is the added wrinkle of what did he tell recruits over the last few years? Now he's not a young guy so really they should have expected there was a more than remote chance they'd end up playing a time for his son and been cool with that.
Now the Falcons coach that left mid season for another coaching job is even worse IMO. Hard to believe a college would want a guy that would bail on his team in mid season. He'd obviously do the same thing to you...
GuilewasNK
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[quote name='munch']So you're ok with Bobby Petrino leaving because he had enough? You don't think that both Petrino and Knight had an obligation to at least make it through the season with the their players?[/quote]
I wouldn't have done the Petrino move personally, but it's his choice to leave.
Let's reverse it...
Don't owners have an obligation to keep coaches and players through the end of contracts? We have seen many get fired or released in the middle of seasons before.
I see where you are coming from wubb, but the thing about coaching is that there are multiple assistants who have responsibilities delegated to them, unlike teaching in which the teacher is the only one qualified, not the teacher assistant or a sub.
I wouldn't have done the Petrino move personally, but it's his choice to leave.
Let's reverse it...
Don't owners have an obligation to keep coaches and players through the end of contracts? We have seen many get fired or released in the middle of seasons before.
I see where you are coming from wubb, but the thing about coaching is that there are multiple assistants who have responsibilities delegated to them, unlike teaching in which the teacher is the only one qualified, not the teacher assistant or a sub.
bread's done