Updated: March 23, 2001, 5:48 PM ET

Bob Knight career timeline

Print Share
ESPN.com

Overall coaching record: 763-290 (fifth all-time on Division I career wins list)
Indiana coaching record: 661-240
Indiana postseason record: 53-23

2001

  • Bob Knight's six-month exile from college basketball ends on March 23 with Texas Tech taking a chance on the volatile but successful coach. Knight's temper led to his firing from Indiana in September. He had coached the Hoosiers to three national titles in 29 years. After missing his first college season since 1963-64, Knight signed a $250,000, five-year deal with Tech. There are no behavior-related clauses in the contract, athletics director Gerald Myers said.

  • On March 15, Knight arrives in Lubbock for a three-day visit. He meets with the media, but doesn't answer questions.

  • Knight is rumored to be the top candidate for the Texas Tech job after the school dismisses coach James Dickey on March 11 following Texas Tech's first-round loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. However, Knight can not be offered the job until a state-mandated 10-day posting period has expired. According to Texas state law, open positions at state schools and universities must be posted for a minimum of 10 days before a hire can be made.

  • On Feb. 19, Rhode Island calls former Indiana coach Bob Knight after tabbing him as one of 50 potential candidates for the head coaching position, but sources say Knight isn't interested in the Rams. It's believed to be the first time an official from a Division I school has contacted Knight about an opening since he was fired at Indiana.

  • Knight, never shy about offering his opinions, is hired in February an Internet company to post his NCAA basketball tournament picks online. A Reston, Va.-based Internet company, Sandbox.com, pays Knight roughly $50,000 to pick the winners of the 64-team field.

  • In the March issue of Playboy magazine, Knight says his only regret is not leaving Indiana sooner. Knight continues to call university officials "deceitful" four months after he was fired. "I talked to some people and almost without exception they told me to leave," Knight said in a 12-page interview which hit newsstands Feb. 5. "What I did in this situation was think about the wrong things. When I quit coaching, I envisioned being able to stay around the university, to help in any way they asked."

    "I would really like to wind up my coaching career working for people I really like and respect and who feel the same way about me," he said. "I want better final memories than I have right now."

    Knight's criticism was wide-ranging. He chastised the media and the stepfather of Kent Harvey, the student who alleged Knight grabbed him in the Assembly Hall lobby. Knight also said he never accepted the school's "zero-tolerance" policy, and that he should have heeded the advice of his wife, Karen, to leave Indiana six years ago.

    2000

  • A New York publisher is works on a deal to publish Knight's memoirs in a deal reportedly worth $1.2 million on Nov. 3

  • On Oct. 24, Knight tells an crowd at an Indianapolis charity fund-raiser he will coach again. But, "This will be the last time I speak in Indianapolis," Knight says, possibly indicating he has plans to leave the state.

  • Knight tells Indiana Pacers coach and former IU player Isiah Thomas on Sept. 27, "I'd be there in a heartbeat," if Thomas asks him to help coach the Pacers, but he'd prefer to stay in college coaching.

  • Knight is featured in TV ads for And1 sports apparel. The spot was scheduled to be aired during the Olympic basketball semifinals and finals. It doesn't air.

  • The president of Indiana University says on Sept. 20 he hopes the firing of Knight will set an example that academics must take priority over athletics. The celebrity status of the basketball coach has drawn so much attention the past few years that it eclipsed serious academic work at the school, university president Myles Brand said. "Some of our faculty members are world famous, but they don't get that kind of attention," he told The Herald-Times of Bloomington. "They are doing much more important things than winning basketball games." Brand, in a separate interview with The Indianapolis Star, said Knight's persona and the basketball team's high profile generated a false impression that the school was obsessed with sports.

  • On Sept. 16, Knight's lawyer questions a contract provision that places restrictions on where the former Indiana coach can next work. Lawyer Russell Yates says the school cannot dictate where Knight can and can't coach.

  • Knight bids farewell to Indiana University on Sept. 13, saluting cheering students and urging them to forget about the freshman Kent Harvey, who played a part in the coach's firing. "Let that kid be a student and let him get on with life. This thing, believe me, had happened to me long before that situation took place. That kid is not responsible for my not coaching at Indiana, and make sure you understand that." The peaceful crowd at Dunn Meadow was estimated by police at about 6,000.

  • With Indiana University president Myles Brand citing a "pattern of unacceptable behavior," Bob Knight was fired as the head basketball coach on Sept. 10. Brand said the latest publicized issue, that of Knight grabbing a student in Assembly Hall, alone did not lead to the firing, but rather the pattern of behavior even after Knight agreed to a zero-tolerance policy in May. Knight, who has been the Hoosiers head coach since 1971, was offered a chance to resign, but did not take it.

  • Bob Knight is accused of grabbing a freshman student at Indiana by the arm and cursing at him Sept. 7. University officials have asked for a police investigation of the matter. According to the student's stepfather, Mark Shaw, the student and four others were waiting to pick up football tickets when the student saw Knight and yelled, "Hey, what's up Knight?" Shaw said Knight grabbed his stepson by the right arm, whirled him around and began cursing him out for disrespecting him by addressing the coach by his last name.

  • Indiana president Myles Brand announces a zero-tolerance policy regarding Bob Knight on May 15, concluding a seven-week investigation into the coach's behavior. The policy contains a code of conduct Knight must follow for him to keep his job. Knight is also suspended for three games, must pay a $30,000 fine and apologize to those he has offended in the past.

  • John Walda, president of Indiana University's board of trustees, and Frederick Eichhorn, a trustee and former president of the Indiana State Bar Association, are appointed to investigate Neil Reed's accusations of Knight choking him during a 1997 practice. At a news conference announcing the investigation, Walda said "I want to emphasize one thing: There are no sacred cows at Indiana University. That includes the basketball program."

  • The trustees' investigation reportedly unveils new allegations involving Knight -- that he physically intimidated the 64-year-old secretary of athletics director Clarence Doninger, injured his son Tim in a 1994 altercation, attacked assistant coach Ron Felling and choked and punched IU's longtime sports information director, Kit Klingelhoffer, in the 1970s over a news release that upset the coach.

  • On the eve of the trustees' meeting with the university president, Knight issues a 10-paragraph statement in which he recognizes his legendary temper and admits to needing a more diplomatic approach: "There are times when my passion for basketball led me into confrontations that I could have handled a lot better. I've always been too confrontational, especially when I know I'm right."

  • On the eve of the NCAA Tournament, CNN/SI releases a report in which former players Neil Reed and Richard Mandeville accuse Knight of choking Reed during a practice in 1997. Other accusations include Knight's use of soiled toilet paper as a motivational device during halftime of one game, and of throwing Indiana president Myles Brand out of practice. A videotape is later released showing Knight choking Reed for 2.3 seconds. Former assistant Ron Felling is accused of leaking the footage.

  • Excerpts from "Born to Believe," a book written by former player and current Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter, include claims that Knight used racial slur during a tirade aimed at a black player. According to Carter, Knight stormed into the locker room after a practice and chewed out another player, saying he would end up like "all the rest of the n------ in Chicago, including your brothers." Carter also describes Knight as a "bully" and a "self-serving coward."

  • Former player Ricky Calloway accuses Knight of physical abuse in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

  • Former Hoosier Steve Alford's return to Indiana as Iowa's head coach is the subject of intense media scrutiny. Knight defuses situation by shaking Alford's hand before game, then blows up during the postgame news conference: "If Alford wants to sit down and talk with me, instead of holding press conferences and talking about a bunch of (expletive), I'll explain things to him," Knight said. He continues the postgame tirade in media workroom.

  • The Indianapolis Star reports of a heated shouting match between Knight and Athletics Director Clarence Doninger after Indiana loses to Ohio State on Feb. 19.

  • Indiana record: 20-9, 10-6 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 6 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 11 Pepperdine 77-57 in first round of NCAA Tournament, the worst first-round loss in Knight's tenure at Indiana. It is one of only three "upsets" according to seeding in the first round (No. 10 Gonzaga defeated No. 7 Louisville, No. 10 Seton Hall defeated No. 7 Oregon).

    1999

  • Knight is accosted by a diner in a restaurant after Knight supposedly made an offensive comment. The diner says Knight put him in a chokehold, but the Monroe County Prosecutor decided not to file charges because Knight may have been provoked.

  • Knight accidentally shoots hunting partner in the back and is cited for failing to report the incident and hunting without a license in Wisconsin.

  • Luke Recker transfers to Arizona following the 1998-99 season, but in offseason is involved in car accident where girlfriend Kelly Craig is partially paralyzed. Recker transfers again, this time to Iowa to be closer to Craig while she recovers, and his family. Knight offers little or no sympathy for Recker or Craig's situation -- his assistant leaves messages with Craig with get-well wishes from coach Knight.

  • Longtime assistant Ron Felling leaves the program to pursue other interests, according to an Indiana news release. Felling, who had been with the program since 1985, was not available for comment at the time of his resignation. Indiana officials later confirm that the resignation was a firing, coming five days after Knight allegedly threw Felling out of a chair because the assistant was criticizing the program to a former IU player over the phone.

  • Indiana record: 23-11, 9-7 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 6 seed in South Region. Lost to No. 3 St. John's 86-61 in second round of NCAA Tournament (worst tourney loss ever)

    All-time Div. I victories
    Name Yrs. Won Lost Pct.
    1. Dean Smith 36 879 254 .776
    2. Adolph Rupp 41 876 190 .822
    3. Jim Phelan* 46 809 463 .636
    4. Henry Iba 41 767 338 .694
    5. Bob Knight* 35 763 290 .725
    6. Ed Diddle 42 759 302 .715
    7. Phog Allen 48 746 281 .726
    8. Lefty Drisell* 38 733 372 .663
    8. Jerry Tarkanian* 29 733 180 .803
    10. Norm Stewart 38 731 375 .661
    *-denotes active coach

    1998

  • In an ESPN interview with Digger Phelps, Knight accuses referees of being the most likely to be involved in gambling on games: "The most susceptible guy in any gambling scheme is an official, without any question. I mean, if we only knew the truth about games that were controlled by officials having gambling interests, I think it would be amazing."

  • Knight is ejected after receiving three technicals on Senior Night vs. Illinois (two are required for ejection). He was fined $10,000 by the Big Ten for berating referee Ted Valentine, whose officiating Knight called "the greatest travesty" he had seen in his coaching career.

  • Indiana record: 20-12, 9-7 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 7 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 2 Connecticut 78-68 in second round of NCAA Tournament.

    1997

  • Jason Collier transfers to Georgia Tech at the midseason semester break, saying he no longer enjoys basketball and is tired of the verbal abuse from Knight.

  • Neil Reed is voted off the team. He transfers to Southern Miss.

  • Earned victory No. 700 on March 5, 1997, with a 70-66 victory over Wisconsin.

  • Indiana record: 22-11, 9-9 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 8 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 9 Colorado 80-62 in first round of NCAA Tournament. Knight walks 2.5 miles back to the team hotel at 1 a.m. in the rain.

    1996

  • Indiana record: 19-12, 12-6 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 6 seed in Southeast Region. Lost to No. 11 Boston College 64-51 in first round of NCAA Tournament.

    1995

  • Knight reprimanded and IU fined $30,000 by the NCAA for an outburst at a postgame news conference at the NCAA Tournament. In front of the assembled media, Knight lashed out at a media liaison who erroneously said Knight would not be attending the press conference.

  • Indiana record: 19-12, 11-7 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 9 seed in West Region. Lost to No. 8 Missouri 65-60 in first round of NCAA Tournament.

    1994

  • Knight head-butts Sherron Wilkerson while screaming at him on the bench. Knight says it was unintentional.

  • Indiana record: 21-9, 12-6
  • Postseason: No. 5 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 9 Boston College 77-68 in Sweet 16.

    1993

  • Knight kicks at his son Patrick during a game vs. Notre Dame. It is unclear whether he kicked Pat or the chair he was sitting in. Knight draws a one-game suspension.

  • 600th win, 75-67 over Iowa, Jan. 6, 1993, came at the age of 52. He is the youngest coach to win 600 games.

  • Knight wins his 11th Big Ten regular-season title, tied for first among Big Ten coaches.

  • Indiana record: 31-4, 17-1 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: No. 1 seed in Midwest. Lost to No. 2 Kansas 83-77 in regional final.

    1992

  • Knight gives a mock whipping to Calbert Cheaney during practice at the NCAA West Regional in Albuquerque. Knight apologizes to anyone who attributed racial connotations to the incident.

  • Indiana advances to the Final Four for the fifth time during Knight's tenure.

  • Knight bars a female Associated Press reporter from the lockerroom, saying it is inappropriate for her to be in there and also against university policy. All reporters were subsequently barred from the lockerroom.

  • Cancels the annual team banquet after a loss to arch-rival Purdue costs Indiana a share of the Big Ten championship.

  • Indiana record: 27-7, 14-4 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 2 seed in West Region. Lost to Duke 81-78 in national semifinals.

    1991

  • Knight is inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Previously, Knight had asked not to be renominated to the Hall of Fame, calling the voters' rejection of him in 1987 a "slap in the face."

  • Indiana record: 29-5, 15-3 Big Ten (conference co-champions)
  • Postseason: No. 2 seed in Southeast. Lost to No. 3 Kansas 83-65 in Sweet 16.

    1990

  • Indiana record: 18-11, 8-10 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 8 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 9 California 65-63 in first round of NCAA Tournament.

    1989

  • 500th win, 92-76 over Northwestern in January

  • Became the winningest coach in Big Ten history. He entered the season with 212 conference wins, just one behind Purdue's Ward "Piggy" Lambert, and surpassed him with a 74-73 win at Purdue.

  • Named national coach of the year by AP, UPI, USBW

  • Named Big Ten coach of the year

  • Indiana record: 27-8, 15-3 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: No. 2 seed in West Region. Lost to No. 3 Seton Hall 78-65 in Sweet 16.

    1988

  • In a television interview with Connie Chung, Knight said "If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it." Knight claims the quote was taken out of context.

  • Indiana record: 19-10, 11-7 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 4 seed in East Region. Lost to No. 13 Richmond 72-69 in first round of NCAA Tournament.

    1987

  • Knight pulls his team off the floor during the second half of a game vs. the Soviet National Team because he doesn't like the officiating. The Soviets were leading, and the game was forfeited.

  • Reprimanded by IU and fined $10,000 by the NCAA after he banged his fist into the scorer's table during an NCAA Tournament game vs. LSU. LSU coach Dale Brown is so incensed by Knight's action that he challenges the Indiana coach to a naked wrestling match.

  • Named Naismith national coach of the year.

  • Indiana record: 30-4, 15-3 Big Ten (conference co-champions)
  • Postseason: No. 1 seed in Midwest Region. Defeated Syracuse 74-73 to win national title, the third of Knight's coaching career.

    Indiana under Knight
    National titles 3
    Final Fours 5
    Big Ten titles 11
    Top 10 in final poll 12
    NCAA Tournaments 24
    Big Ten MVPs 11
    1st team All-Big Ten 33
    1st team All-Americans 13
    1st team Acad. All-Big Ten 31
    NBA first-round picks 14
    1986
  • In a decision Knight will live to regret, he allows Washington Post reporter John Feinstein unprecedented access to the Hoosiers' program during the 1985-86 season for a book he is writing. While also praising Knight as a brilliant coach, strategist and motivator, "A Season on the Brink" also shows Knight as a bullying, profane, maniacal character. Knight refuses to comment on the book and vows never to speak to Feinstein again (he later breaks that vow).

  • Received a technical foul for shouting at the officials during a game against Illinois, then kicked a megaphone and chewed out the Indiana cheerleaders for disrupting a free throw attempt by Steve Alford.

  • Indiana record: 21-8, 13-5 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 3 seed in East. Lost to No. 14 Cleveland State 83-79 in first round of NCAA Tournament.

    1985

  • Tosses the chair across the court during a game vs. Purdue, nearly hitting people in the wheelchair section. Knight is ejected and suspended for one game by Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke. Knight issues a statement apologizing for the incident.

  • Notches 400th win, an 81-68 victory over Kentucky in December of 1984. Knight is 44 years old.

  • Indiana record: 19-14, 7-11 Big Ten
  • Postseason: Lost to UCLA 65-62 in NIT final four.

    1984

  • Coached U.S. Olympic team to gold medal.

  • Indiana record: 22-9, 13-5 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 4 seed in East Region (received first-round bye). Lost to No. 7 Virginia 50-48 regional final.

    1983

  • Knight stands at midcourt and swears at Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke over what Knight calls "the worst officiating I have seen in 12 years."

  • Indiana record: 24-6, 13-5 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: No. 2 seed in Mideast Region (received first-round bye). Lost to No. 3 Kentucky 64-59 in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament.

    1982

  • Indiana record: 19-10, 12-6 Big Ten
  • Postseason: No. 5 seed in Mideast Region. Lost to No. 4 UAB 80-70 in second round of NCAA Tournament.

    1981

  • Knight and an LSU fan get into an altercation in Philadelphia during the Final Four. Knight shoves the fan into a garbage can.

  • Uses his weekly program to show films of a "sucker punch" incident between Isiah Thomas and Purdue's Roosevelt Barnes, which he said proved Thomas' innocence. Critical of "Purdue mentality," he aggravated Boilermakers fans and officials by bringing a donkey wearing a Purdue cap onto his TV show.

  • Big Ten coach of the year

  • Indiana record: 26-9, 14-4 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: No. 3 seed in Mideast Region (received first-round bye). Defeated North Carolina 63-50 for NCAA title (Knight's second national title)

    1980

  • Knight fires a blank shot from a starter's pistol at Louisville Courier-Journal reporter Russ Brown. Knight said he did it "to keep from going nuts."

  • Earns 300th win, an 83-69 victory over Northwestern. Knight is 40 years old.

  • Big Ten coach of the year

  • Indiana record: 21-8, 13-5 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: No. 2 seed in Mideast Region. Lost to No. 6 Purdue 76-69 in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament.

    1979

  • Guided United States to Pan American Games gold medal.

  • Knight charged, tried and convicted in absentia for hitting a Puerto Rican policeman before a practice session at Pan American Games. Knight sentenced to six months in jail, but Puerto Rico government decided in 1987 to drop efforts to extradite him.

  • Indiana record: 22-12, 10-8 Big Ten
  • Postseason: Defeated Purdue 53-52 for NIT title

    1978

  • Indiana record: 21-8, 12-6 Big Ten
  • Postseason: Lost to Villanova 61-60 in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament (teams not seeded).

    1977

  • Indiana record: 16-11, 11-7
  • Postseason: None

    1976

  • Records his 200th coaching victory, a 93-56 win over Georgia. Knight is 35 years old.

  • Upset over two turnovers, Knight grabs sophomore Jim Wisman by the jersey and jerks him into his seat. Later Wisman said Knight was right in his actions, but Knight said he was wrong.

  • Guides Indiana to a 32-0 record, the last time an NCAA Division I team finished the season undefeated.

  • Named national coach of the year by AP, UPI and Basketball Weekly.

  • Big Ten coach of the year.

  • Indiana record: 32-0, 18-0 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: Defeated Michigan 86-68 for NCAA title (Knight's first)

    1975

  • Unanimous choice for national coach of the year.

  • Big Ten coach of the year.

  • Indiana record: 31-1, 18-0 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: Lost to Kentucky 92-90 in regional final of NCAA Tournament

    1974

  • Indiana record: 23-5, 12-2 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: Defeated USC 85-60 in first Collegiate Commissioner's Association championship

    1973

  • Big Ten coach of the year.

  • Indiana record: 22-6, 11-3 Big Ten (conference champions)
  • Postseason: Lost to UCLA 70-59 in Final Four. Defeated Providence 97-79 in consolation game

    1972

  • Becomes head coach at Indiana at the age of 31.

  • Indiana record: 17-8, 9-5
  • Postseason: Lost to Princeton 68-60 in NIT

    1971

  • Finishes career at Army with record of 102-50

  • Notches career win No. 100: Army 64, Navy 50

  • Army record: 11-13
  • Postseason: None

    1970

  • Army record: 22-6
  • Postseason: Finished third in NIT

    1969

  • Army record: 18-10
  • Postseason: Finished fourth in NIT

    1968

  • Army record: 20-5
  • Postseason: NIT participant

    1967

  • Army record: 13-8
  • Postseason: None

    1966

  • Named head coach at Army at age 24

  • Army record: 18-8
  • Postseason: Finished fourth in NIT

    1964

  • Assistant coach, Army

    1963

  • Assistant coach, Cuyahoga Falls (HS), Ohio

    1962

  • Graduated from Ohio State with B.S., history and government

    1960-62

  • While a player at Ohio State, his teams compile an overall record of 78-6. The Buckeyes won the national title in 1960 (Knight is 0-for-1 with one personal foul in 75-55 win over California in title game), and captured Big Ten titles during all three of Knight's seasons.

    1940

  • Born Oct. 25 in Orrville, Ohio

    • ALSO SEE

    MORE MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL HEADLINES

    Insider

    MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM

    Most Sent »

    TOP STORIES FROM ABC NEWS