Bonus: More community reflections on meeting Bob Knight

The Herald-Times asked community members to share their stories about Bob Knight, and they came in from all over the country.

No Purdue fans allowed close to the bench

For several years, I was responsible for providing a crew to work at Assembly Hall during all home basketball games selling ice cream from vendor carts, positioned in various public areas around the facility. We would sell ice cream through halftime, put the carts away and were allowed to watch the remainder of the game in the tunnel near the end of the bench.

I would have friends or family with me to staff the ice cream carts and many of us enjoyed not only the part-time work, but the opportunity to be so close to the action at every game. Needless to say, there were many one-of-a-kind moments watching a true legend from that distance.

At one game, I had asked a very good friend from Lafayette, Indiana, to help and, of course, see the end of the game. He was a Purdue fan, but very appreciative of the opportunity to help and to be able to watch the second half from our viewpoint.

We were all gathered at the end of the bench, as we had for the past three years or so, enjoying yet another fantastic game. My friend, obviously with us, was wearing a Purdue Boilermaker sweatshirt — not complaining or causing any issues, simply watching.

A few minutes into the game, I noticed Mr. Knight speaking with a security person and pointing in our direction. I thought nothing of it, never considering that it had anything at all to do with us.

Imagine my surprise when a little while later a very nice, professional security person approached us and asked us to please leave, letting us know that Coach Knight did not appreciate a Purdue fan being that close to his bench.

It's a memory that will never be forgotten and cemented and bonded a relationship for many years between great friends.

Assembly Hall was hallowed to Coach Knight, and this incident epitomizes not only his commanding presence and standards, but his true love and appreciation of his fans.

May he rest in peace.

— Rick Bogue, New Castle, IN

Real advice: Don't put wet shorts in your gym bag

In 1993, I took my 10-year-old son to Bob Knight’s summer basketball camp in Bloomington.

We attended the group orientation in the dining hall of one of the dorms. I’ll never forget how Coach talked to the large group of boys. He was so real with them.

He stressed that they should hang up their shirts and shorts every day after practice and not put wadded up damp clothes in their bags for their moms to deal with at the end of the week. I appreciated that!

— Dixie Touzalin, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Showing respect for borrowed facilities and young fans

I am an IU alum class of ’81 and moved to Denver shortly after graduation. I have two stories that I love about Coach.

∙ IU made the Sweet 16 in 1989 in Denver. I attended the game. My wife at the time was a teacher and had many friends in the education community. I met the principal of Manual High School, which hosted the Hoosiers for their practice time before the game. He had heard these stories about Coach and had an unfavorable opinion about him.

The principal attended all practices and was surprised how the Hoosiers and Coach Knight were respectful and cleaned up after themselves after having pizza delivered at the gym. Coach Knight made the principal part of the “posse” and included him with all the activities, bus trips, etc. Needless to say, Coach Knight won him over with his respect and kindness. They lost in the regional semis against Seton Hall that year, but made a favorable impression on the principal.

Community reflections: Bob Knight made an impression on everyone who met him

∙ I’m divorced with three wonderful daughters who grew up on IU basketball. Once they were eating at a restaurant with their mother in Denver when they saw Coach Knight at a nearby table. My girls being who they are, went over and introduce themselves (my oldest are twin girls born March 27, 1987, 2 days before the '87 championship game). Coach was at Texas Tech at that time and was extremely pleasant and respectful. About a week later, I receive a package from TTU and it contains all types of Texas Tech gear with a handwritten note about how awesome my girls are. Thanks, Coach!

— Brad Hancock, Denver, Colorado

Always coaching, even the guys on the other team

I graduated from Indiana University in 1971, so I never saw Coach Knight's teams play until years later. I lived in Kansas for a long time, and got tickets in December 1980, when IU played Jack Hartman's Kansas State Wildcats.

Neither team played well on a very cold night in Ahearn Fieldhouse, but Knight and Hartman were friends and had a good time anyway. As soon as the final buzzer sounded, I watched Coach Knight head quickly toward a KSU player, Ed Nealy. The 6'7" post player, was slow, couldn't jump, but had a decent jump shot and good footwork.

Right away, as they both walked off the floor, Knight had his arm around Nealy, coaching him up. I imagine he was telling Nealy how much he loved his positioning on rebounds, how his boxing out and screening for the shooters was just great. Maybe even how he was just the kind of player Knight wished he had on his team.

Ed Nealy couldn't do much athletically, but he was a basketball player.  Every IU starter that night, including Isiah Thomas, could out jump him.  But he was Knight's kind of player. Nealy played more than 10 years in the NBA, doing basketball things correctly, as taught by two of the greatest coaches, Hartman and Knight.

— Jim Hays, Corydon, Indiana

Entering a banquet hall like he did an arena

In September of 1992, Coach Knight spoke at a dinner in Owensboro, Kentucky, benefiting the Cliff Hagan Boys Club.

I was a student attending the local community college and was asked to videotape the event. I’d watched countless IU games on TV, but had never seen Coach Knight in person.

He entered the full banquet hall much like he did when entering an arena. He was much taller than most thought. After the event, I was lucky enough to get a photo with Coach from the event photographer.

I would end up transferring to IU a couple years later and taking his Coaching Basketball class that was taught at Assembly Hall.

— Wes Woodward, Beech Grove, Indiana 

Knight stories from a former H-T sportswriter

The fat package showed up on my desk at "The Herald" in Rock Hill, South Carolina in late June of 2003. The post mark and the envelope — Lubbock, Texas, Texas Tech University — immediately told me who it was from.

Bob Knight.

I spent 40 years in sports writing. Two of those were in Bloomington covering the Indiana Hoosiers and Knight. I had been gone from Bloomington for almost five years when the package arrived. That he still remembered and thought of me brought a smile to my face.

Then I opened the package.

It included a thick book, "The Best American Sports Writing of the Century," edited by David Halberstam, and a brief note from the basketball office at Texas Tech.

“Dear Gary,” it began, “stories from the best American sports writers is not something I find really intriguing. In fact, I’m not sure you will either but I thought you might enjoy some of it, so I am sending you this book.

“I hope all is well with you. Have a good summer.”

Signed, Bob.

I thought about that book and pulled it out when I heard of Bob Knight’s death. I believe it was an example of his softer side, the side that let you know he was your friend. Being a sports writer, to have him send something, anything, told me we were good, we were friends.

He had reached out before, when he was still at Indiana. I left Bloomington in October of 1998 after almost three years, a family decision bringing me, Deb and Dylan back south, closer to home and family. Now and then the phone would ring at the office, and he’d be on the other end, asking how I was doing.

In 1999, after I had been out of Bloomington for almost a year, he called and invited me to come to Bloomington for the Hoosiers’ midnight madness. I accepted. I met him at Assembly Hall, and he drove us and a couple other friends to dinner. The restaurant was packed. When we walked in, every head turned, but not to see me. After dinner we drove back to Assembly Hall. The parking lot was packed with tailgaters, grills fired up by fans fired up by the coming season. He stopped by a couple spots trying to find the lady — whose name I don’t remember — who had organized the tailgate celebration. We found her. Bob got out of the car, the lady’s eyes wide with excitement, he gave her a hug and thanked her for what she’d done. I think she may have shed a tear or two.

Before midnight madness began I asked Bob where I was going to sit.

“On the bench, with me,” he said. It was a pretty good seat and wonderful night.

After he was fired at IU and wound up at Texas Tech, he sent another package with a red Texas Tech T-shirt enclosed. On the back in big white letters were the words “He’s Back.” And I was glad. College basketball needed him and he needed the game.

Our last phone conversation was in the summer, maybe 2003. We talked about fishing. He invited me to come to Texas and fish for bass. It never happened. I regret that. While I played golf with him a couple times (he was damn good by the way), I never got to fish with him. Beyond basketball, golf and fishing were his favorites.

During my two seasons covering the Hoosiers, we got along, although I didn’t escape the wrath he could summon for sports writers. I think I was lucky in that Bob Hammel, who I succeeded at The Herald-Times, helped pave my way. He warned me that I would be tested by Bob Knight. I wouldn’t know when or how, but it would happen.

He had told me I could come to practice any time, but DON’T BE LATE. Well, one day I was late, maybe two minutes. He was on the other side of the court when he saw me come in. He summoned an assistant coach, pointed at me and gave instructions. The assistant jogged over and told me “coach says you’re late.”

Why I did this I don’t know. But I took two steps out on the court and yelled at Bob … ”you want me to run some effing laps?”

Bob broke into laughter and waved me off. He never brought it up again. I think he liked someone throwing something back at him.

There was the time he told a crowd of fans he thought I’d be OK as soon as “we get him trained.” The next day I showed up at practice, a practice that was not very good. I walked up and his reaction was “what the hell do you want?”

“Just here for more training coach,” I said. We had an hour sit down.

At the 1997 NCAA Regional in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I raised my hand to ask a question. He couldn’t see me without rising a little from his chair. “Oh, it’s you,” he said, “What do you want?”

“Just here to ask a question or two,” I said. Having come from North Carolina, I told him he had to answer because he was “on my turf now.”

“As long as I’m up here and you’re down there, ”I’m never on your turf.”

That night, ESPN led its basketball coverage with Knight berating another sports writer, even though he and I knew what had happened.

I could go on, but anything I could say about his coaching ability, his temper, his short comings would just repeat what has been written time and time again. He was a brilliant and flawed man. Others have been. Some of us are just flawed. But I liked him, liked him a lot, and I am grateful for the time I got to spend watching his basketball genius and listening to him talk about things not related to basketball.

I will forever remember him as a friend.

— Gary McCann, Rock Hill, South Carolina

Kicked out by Coach himself

Myself, my twin brother Brian, and our friend, Scott Fitzgerald, all found an unlocked door in Assembly Hall when IU was having a CLOSED practice.

We snuck in, kneeled down in front of a row of seats. Just a few minutes later, Bob Knight himself pointed at us, and said simply “OUT!"

We left immediately.

Now, we always say we were kicked out of practice by the Legend himself, Bob Knight. I knew at that time, we’d all remember this for the rest of our lives. We loved The Coach!

— Anthony Upchurch, Warsaw, Indiana

Baby, you're going to be a fan

When I was born, my dad read me "1976 The Perfect Season." He went to IU and I too went to IU. It is a bond that we continue to share: our love for IU and Bob Knight. From the beginning.

— Carlye Frye, Anderson, Indiana

A half a credit in basketball coaching

In 1992, while an undergrad at IU, I took Coaching of Basketball with Bob Knight. The course was worth 1.5 credit hours. I asked the Registrar's Office why the class was worth 1.5 hours and not 2. I was told "that's just Coach Knight being Coach Knight." There were no other classes at the university worth a 1/2 credit, so I graduated with 120.5 credit hours!

We conducted the lab portion of the class on the floor of Assembly Hall, learning the intricacies of the motion offense from the assistant coaches.  For the lectures, Bob Knight would enthrall us with all manner of stories.  One poor student arrived late and the General welcomed him with "where the hell have you been?" While I never pursued a career in coaching, I have fond memories of the class with Coach Knight.

— Bob Bornstein, Louisville, Kentucky

He even coached softball coaches

Back in the early 2000s I was coaching women's softball at Butler Juco in Kansas. Our men's basketball coach, Dennis Helms, knew I was a lifetime Bob Knight fan.

Coach Knight was at Texas Tech at the time, and was flying into little El Dorado, Kansas to recruit one of our basketball players.

Coach Helms asked me to go meet Coach Knight at that little airport. We ended up talking fast pitch softball and The General informed me what a great men's fast pitch player he was growing up in Ohio.

I’ll never forget him instructing me how to teach my players the proper way to hit a Rose Ball. All out there on that little runway. I will never forget that morning with the General.

— Brad Horky, Lincoln, Nebraska

From one Bob to another

Bob Knight inspired me in a post-adolescent, hero-worship-type way. Upon graduation, I cherished all things IU, including my copy of his “Perfect Season.” Not exactly a gung-ho basketball fan, I, nevertheless, savored how the General spoke his mind and made his players study.

In my late 20s, I was inspired, while undergoing counseling, to change my call-name from Weldon, a middle name, to Bob, inasmuch as Robert was also a given name. That was quite a transition for me, one I’ve continued into professional life. Coach helped me realize who I was striving to be, and his assertiveness and discipline inspired me in my own pursuits.

— Bob Baird, Bloomington

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bonus: More community reflections on meeting Bob Knight