This weekend, I posted a link from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that received wide play throughout the sports world regarding Bob Knight’s potential interest in the now vacant head coaching position at the University of Georgia. This story was part of a whirlwind weekend of anger and intrigue for the Knight family, which also featured the first national headline grabbing outburst from Pat Knight in his role as head coach at Texas Tech. A chip off the old block indeed. As of yesterday, Pat Knight had not been suspended but was publicly reprimanded by the Big 12 conference.
With regards to the story about Bob Knight possibly coaching again, it appears that there are more legs to this story than just unnamed sources saying Knight would be interested. Bob Knight himself has now come out an said exactly that:
Okay, so that had nothing to do with Georgia job — obviously. But a pretty hilarious commercial nonetheless. Here is the actual recent quote from Bob Knight, per ESPN.com:
“It has to be a situation that I think is right for me and one where I would be right for the university,” Knight said. “I have never said that I wouldn’t coach again. I’ve simply said in the past, if the right situation came along, I would be interested.”
This quote isn’t exactly breaking news in and of itself, but it does jive with the source quoted in the AJC article who said that Knight is intrigued by the idea of coaching in the SEC but does not want it to look like he is out pursuing a job.
Interestingly, a Georgia player, Albert Jackson, is quoted in the same ESPN.com article cited above as saying that he would love to have Bob Knight take over the Bulldogs.
“I would love to have a coach of that caliber, that stature,” Jackson told the Journal-Constitution. “You have a Hall of Fame coach, you have somebody like that, all you can do is be happy. If Bobby Knight wants to come in here, I’d be more than happy.”
Hey, I wholeheartedly agree with Jackson, and have never made a secret of my affinity for Bob Knight. He can be a jerk, a bully, and a raging egomaniac, but he balances his demons by being an outstanding teacher, a great coach, and someone who helps to bring enormous resources (i.e. money, money, money) to whatever school he is with. I think going from Dennis Felton to Bob Knight would be like the equivalent of driving a Chevy Corsica and then walking out to your garage and finding a brand new Mercedes.
However, with that in mind, I do think that we should remind Albert Jackson and the rest of the Georgia faithful exactly what they would be getting if Bob Knight donned the red sweater again. A quick trip down memory lane of some of the more…entertaining…clips of Bob Knight throughout the years.
Let’s start out with Old Faithful, the one action that has become as synonymous with Bob Knight’s coaching career as his 3 National Titles: the chair toss.
Next, we move onto a YouTube “video” that isn’t really a video. Rather, it is audio of one of the more…intense…locker room speeches I have ever heard. (FYI: if you are at work, you might want to save this one for home. Bad language would be an understatement.) There are a variety of theories as to who recorded and leaked this interview. I have never been able to get confirmation, and I’m not sure more than a handful of people really know. Please feel free to update the conspiracy theories in the comments as I may not be up on the latest.
Here is one that I actually hadn’t seen before: Bob Knight going berserk on his own TV show. Old ladies in Indiana love Bob Knight — but not for moments like this, because old ladies in Indiana also love Chuck Marlowe (who, to his credit, put up pretty well with a lot of Knight’s BS over the years).
Here is another classic. Bobby Knight golf outtakes. He oscillates between being ridiculously impressed with himself and hilariously frustrated. The one constant: the F-word.
And speaking of the F-word, let’s hear Coach Knight explain why it is his favorite word. And, I think it should go without saying that language could be an issue with this one if you are at work:
A Top 10 compilation from ESPN of the best Bob Knight sound bytes. This video features my favorites, which include his memorable quotes from Senior Days past in Bloomington:
In another memorable video from Coach Knight’s weekly show with Chuck Marlowe, Knight hilariously brings in the Purdue mascot to the set:
The previous video was Bob Knight the laid back comedian, and the next video is Bob Knight the bully as he displays some of his more negative personality traits:
And back to funny Bobby, with the Minute Maid commercial he did showing the cuddly side that always endeared him to grandmas across Indiana:
And last but not least, since someone will scream and cry if I don’t include it, Bob Knight slapping one of his Texas Tech players in the face. (For the record, I looked for the Neil Reed video, but couldn’t find it. Feel free to embed in comments if you have it.) Albert Jackson and the Bulldogs should at least prepare themselves for a little physical contact if Coach Knight takes over. My advice: look him in the eye when he’s talking to you.
So there you have it, a trip down memory lane with Coach Knight. He is one of the five greatest coaches in basketball history, and certainly the funniest, but also one of the most notoriously angry and loose-tempered icons in the history of sports. Warts and all, I still think Bob Knight would be a great hire for Georgia, and I love to see him back on the sidelines. Say what you will, but college basketball is infintely more entertaining when Bob Knight is coaching.
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