BREAKING: Famous Coach Dead (Video)

(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – BREAKING NEWS: Legendary as well as legendarily controversial, iconic but also short-tempered and outspoken, basketball coach Bobby Knight, aka “the General,” has passed away at 83 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Knight’s death was announced by his foundation’s website on Wednesday, as cited by The Indy Star, later confirmed by Indiana University.

The lengthy report on the emblematic coach describes Knigth as influential as he was contentious and one who epitomized the essence of basketball in a region fervently passionate about the sport for many years.

His unwavering emphasis on fundamentals and meticulous attention to detail firmly entrenched his methods in the ethos of basketball, the Indy Star comments, noting that, during his peak at Indiana University, Knight’s prominence and recognition in the basketball world were unparalleled.

Originating from Orrville, Ohio, and an alumnus of Ohio State University, Robert Montgomery Knight was a member of Fred Taylor’s 1960 national championship team alongside future NBA luminaries John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas.

Knight’s most significant impact came as a coach. After graduating from Ohio State, he briefly served as a high school assistant coach before accepting a similar role at Army under Tates Locke. He succeeded Locke as the head coach in West Point in 1965.

In his six seasons at Army, Knight achieved 102 victories, including four seasons with at least 18 wins and only one season with a losing record. This success precipitated his move to Indiana University, a transformative decision.

Overall, Knight achieved 662 victories at Indiana, a record for the program. Among Big Ten coaches with a minimum of 10 seasons in the conference, only Bo Ryan and Thad Matta exceeded Knight’s win percentage (.731), yet neither had as extensive a tenure.

Knight’s 353 conference wins remained a Big Ten record until 2022, and his 11 league titles equaled the record set by former Purdue coach Ward “Piggy” Lambert.

When he retired in 2008, Knight’s 902 victories stood as an NCAA Division I men’s record, later surpassed by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who played under Knight at Army and served as his assistant for one season in Bloomington.

The report stresses that Knight’s career was not without controversy as he was notorious for his volatile temper, directed at referees, administrators, officials, and even his players.

Accusations against him included assaulting a police officer in Puerto Rico in 1979 while coaching a US team in the Pan American Games and making controversial comments about sexual assault in a 1988 interview.