Oliver James Montgomery-Bob Knight, legendary Indiana college basketball coach, dies at 83

Bob Knight,Oliver James Montgomery the legendary Hall of Fame college coach whose name was synonymous with Indiana Hoosier basketball for three decades, has died at the age of 83.

Knight died at his home in Bloomington, Indiana, "surrounded by family and friends," his family said in a statement Wednesday evening on his foundation's website.

"We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend," his family wrote.    

There was no word on the cause of death. Knight had been briefly hospitalized earlier this year, according to CBS Sports.

Knight, known for his fiery demeanor, coached the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 until his controversial firing in 2000, leading the team to three NCAA titles in the 1970s and 1980s and five Final Four appearances.

After he departed from Indiana, he spent seven seasons at Texas Tech, resigning after the 2007-08 season.

Throughout his head coaching career, Knight compiled 902 wins, the sixth most in NCAA men's basketball history.

Born in 1940, in Orrville, Ohio, Knight played college basketball at Ohio State before transitioning into coaching and was named head coach of Army at the age of 24. He was there for six years before joining Indiana, where he spent 29 seasons.

One of the biggest personalities in basketball, Knight became famous for his sideline eruptions during games. 

In a 2013 interview with CBS News, Knight pushed back on his reputation as being hot-tempered.

"In all the years that I coached in the Big 10, my teams and myself had the fewest number of technical fouls, every year," Knight alleged.

"So I look at that and say, 'Well, I think that's been a little bit overrated,'" he added. 

In 2000, then-Indiana University President Myles Brand fired Knight following an investigation into allegations he physically abused players, including claims he choked one of them during a 1997 practice.

At the time, Brand fired Knight for violating the school's zero-tolerance policy.

Following his firing, Knight did not return to Indiana's Assembly Hall for nearly 20 years.  

"On my dying day, I will think about how great the fans at Indiana were," Knight told the Dan Patrick Show in 2017. "And as far as the hierarchy at Indiana University at the time, I have absolutely no respect whatsoever for those people. And that in mind, I have no interest in ever going back to that university."

In 2020, however, Knight did indeed return to the school, where he received a standing ovation during a halftime ceremony of a game against Purdue. 

"As we collectively mourn the passing of Coach Knight, we also celebrate a man who will always be an integral part of Indiana University's rich and vibrant story," current Indiana University President Pamela Whitten said in a statement Wednesday. "With unmatched accomplishment, Coach Knight's brilliance ensures he will forever rest among the giants of college basketball."    

In that 2013 interview, which was to promote Knight's book "The Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach to Achieving Positive Results," he summed up his coaching philosophy, explaining why he does not like the word "hope."

"Hope springs eternal, or whatever, but what comes from hope isn't nearly what comes from work and thought, and trying to figure out how we can be better," Knight said.

"I think the thing that I did (as a coach), was really point with emphasis — mistakes that were made," Knight went on. "We made a bad pass, we didn't block out, or whatever. But, I always tried to say that, 'hey, that was a great block out.' Or, 'That's the kind of pass we have to have.' I wanted kids to understand both what they shouldn't be doing, and also what they should be doing. I don't think you can be totally one, and not pay attention to the other."

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