MADRID, 2 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The American Bobby Knight, considered one of the greatest college basketball coaches in the United States and three-time champion with the University of Indiana and Olympic champion in Los Angeles’84 against the Spanish team, died this Wednesday at the age of 83.
“It is with great sadness that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy when Coach requested a private family meeting. We will continue to celebrate his life and remembering him, today and always as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach and Friend,” said a statement from his family.
Knight was a university coach for 42 years, in which he achieved more than 900 wins (902), the sixth most in NCCA history, and he spent time on the university benches with stops at Army (1966-71), Indiana (1972-2000) and Texas Tech (2002-08).
He was named National Coach of the Year four times and was included in the Hall of Fame in 1991, in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and his best achievements were with the Indiana Hoosiers, whom he began coaching at 30 years and with which he won the NCAA titles (1976, 1981, 1987) and five other ‘Final Four’ (1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1992) in his 29 years as a coach. Additionally, his 1976 champion team went 32-0, something that has yet to be matched since then.
In addition, he was the national coach of his country at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, coaching figures such as Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing and winning the gold medal by beating the Spanish team in the final. He also coached another figure of the 80s like point guard Isaiah Thomas.
Likewise, he did not forget the academic aspect and during his coaching career at Indiana, 98 percent of his fourth-year players obtained their degrees, and on the board he stood out for his innovative nature on the offensive aspect.
Born in Orrville, he played for Ohio State University, where he shared a locker room with John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas and with which he was proclaimed university champion in 1960 and runner-up in the following two years.