WASHINGTON (AFP) — American college basketball coaching legend Bob Knight, an outspoken and controversial figure who guided the United States to 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold, died Wednesday. He was 83.
In addition to directing a US squad with future National Basketball Association superstars Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing to Olympic gold, Knight coached Indiana University to US college basketball crowns in 1976, 1981 and 1987.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington (Indiana) surrounded by his family,” the Knight family said in a statement.
“We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved husband, father, coach, and friend.”
Knight once hurled a chair across the court during a game to earn an ejection and was fired from Indiana in 2000 after a confrontation with a student.
Over his 42-year college head coaching career, Knight went a combined 902-371 during stops at Army (1966-71), Indiana (1972-2000) and Texas Tech (2001-2008).
At the time of his retirement, Knight was the winningest coach in US college history. He currently ranks sixth on the list.
Knight, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, coached the Hoosiers to an undefeated championship campaign in 1976.
He also coached a US squad to a title at the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.
