Bobby Knight: The Greatest NCAA Coach

Bobby Knight has been commanding troops on the hardwood for over 40 years. Besides being a "chair's worst nightmare," Knight has won 891 games as a Division I coach. He has won three NCAA Championship (1976, 1981, 1987) and led the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984. Knight's methods of coaching have been in question, but you can't argue that they are successful. He has never had the elite players that Coach K, Dean Smith, and Roy Williams have had at their fingertips. Coach Knight has always gotten the best out of the players the he's recruited. Isiah Thomas might be the only player that he coached that would be considered great.

Knight started his career at the age of 24 when he took the coaching job at Army. He spent six seasons there before he headed to Bloomington, Indiana. At Indiana he had his greatest success. He had all three of his championships at IU and his 1976 team to a perfect 32-0 season. It was the last time that a team have went undefeated in NCAA Division I. Knight has mentored some future coaches. Coach K, Lawrence Frank, Isiah Thomas, and Steve Alford have all spent time under Knight.

Bobby Knight has been in the headlines for his extra-curricular activities. He lost his job at IU for grabbing a student's arm and allegations of abusive behavior toward his student-athletes. Coach Knight landed a job at Texas Tech, which had no success in its basketball program before hiring him. Knight has achieved a few NCAA appearances and one Sweet Sixteen as the coach of Texas Tech.

Graduating his players has been high on Coach Knight's list of achievements. He has been an against the NBA's age restriction. He fears that young men will just use the college game and not actually attend class.

You may not like him, you may even hate him, but you can't deny what Bobby Knight has given to the sport of basketball. He has turned kids into young men and is the best coach in NCAA history.