Monday, February 04, 2008

Bob Knight quits Texas Tech.

NCAA basketball coaching legend Bob Knight has resigned as head man of Texas Tech.



The program will be turned over to his son, Pat Knight, who was named head coach-designate in 2005.

"There's a transition that's going to take place here from me to Pat and I've dwelt on this all year long -- about what would be the best way to do this, and how it would be best for him and for the team and for what we can do in the long run to make this the best thing for Texas Tech," Knight said, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "I didn't know, I've never really known when I was going to step down from this job. As I thought about it, my first thought was at the end of this season."



Knight leaves the game as the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history with 902 victories.

While I respect his basketball accomplishments and the principled stands he took on his athletes being model students, I will always think of Knight as a domineering, petty tyrant.





But if you ever listen to senior Star Tribune fossil sports columnist Sid Hartman, Knight is to be revered amongst the likes of Ghandi and Mother Theresa. How absurd is Sid’s fascination with Knight? It was rumored that Sid was telling everyone that Knight would have influence on who would coach the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Bill Parcells, who was a classmate of Knight’s in the 60s at West Point, became head of football operations for the Dolphins in December. Miami’s head coach at the time was Cam Cameron, who once coached football at the University of Indiana at the same time Knight coached Hoosier basketball. Anyhow, Sid was convinced that Knight would persuade his old buddy Parcells to keep Cameron on as coach because Knight thought so highly of him at Indiana. Shortly after that alleged speculation, Cameron was fired and Parcells hired former Dallas Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano.

I’m predicting one (if not all) of the following excerpts might be printed in Hartman’s column within the next day or two.


”I talked to Bob Knight just before he made his decision…”

”Knight and I have been close friends for nearly forty years...”

”I remember one occasion when I had lunch with Knight and Bud Grant…”

"Not only is Knight a great coach but he was a great human being."

He was misunderstood by so many people..."


Hey, just because the NFL season is over doesn’t mean I’m out of the prognostication game.

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