Bobby Knight is a legend in basketball. We all know the stats. He won 902 NCAA Division I men’s basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement.
He won three national championships with the Hoosiers. Five Final Four appearances. Three AP Coach of the Year awards. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport.
Hell, he even won a national championship as a player for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Knight sadly passed away in November at the age of 83.
He will sorely be missed as March Madness comes rumbling through next week.
RELATED: Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight, Dead At 83
Bobby Knight Was A One-Of-A-Kind
Bobby Knight was also known for his fiery temper and controversial behavior, something that ultimately led to his dismissal from Indiana in 2000.
But man, sometimes that fiery temper was a thing of beauty. For instance, this resurfaced video from 1987 where a reporter gets on his case about the Hoosiers almost losing to Northwestern that year on the road.
“It kind of amazes me that you guys could beat Northwestern and Wisconsin down here and then go up and have so much trouble with them on their home court,” the reporter states.
Sure enough, that Hoosier squad thumped those teams – Northwestern by 52 (not 51 as the reporter suggests) and Wisconsin by 38 – but struggled in rematches on the road, beating Northwestern by a bucket and hanging on to edge Wisconsin by one point in triple overtime.
“If it amazes you, then you don’t know anything about basketball,” Knight fires back. “You’re illuminating your relative lack of knowledge of the game with a statement like that.”
When the reporter keeps pressing him on the matter, that’s when chair-throwing-level Bob Knight comes out. (WARNING: Strong Language)
Knight Unloads With A String Of Expletives That Would Make A Hooker Blush
“Let me ask you something,” Knight begins.
As a viewer, you start to get a bit uncomfortable knowing Coach is about to hand this man his ass. You know you can’t, but you just want to reach in there and tell the reporter to get the hell out of there while he still can.
“Let’s just start all this fucking shit again,” Knight continues. “Now, I’m not here to argue the thing with you. I’m not going to fucking debate things with you god damn people from television.”
“No, you want a fucking answer from me,” he says unbuttoning his shirt and clearly growing ever more agitated. “You don’t like the fucking answer, then don’t use the fucking program okay.”
Perhaps the best part of the exchange is when Bobby Knight walks away leaving the reporter there, mic in hand asking, “Can we try it again coach?”
Off camera, you can hear Knight reply, “Nope.”
What a legend. Definitely a Top 10 soundbite. And ESPN agrees …
Where Does It Rank?
Watching Bobby Knight dismantle an unsuspecting reporter is great fun. I personally also enjoyed these great memories provided by “The General.”
Chair throwing (If I recall correctly, they made this into a contest for fans in later years to see who could throw a chair the best):
That time he said he wanted to be buried upside down when he died because, well, listen for yourself:
And who could forget his hilarious rant about putting on a “game face”?
Knight, by the way, got the last laugh with that reporter in 1987. Indiana went 24-4 that year and won the national championship.
Bobby Knight – An unforgettable personality. March Madness won’t be the same without him this year.
