LUBBOCK, Texas – Bob Knight's six-month exile from college
basketball ended Friday with Texas Tech taking a chance on the
volatile but successful coach.
Knight was introduced to a raucous crowd of about 7,500 during a
rally at United Spirit Arena on Friday evening. The fans, who
shouted "Bobby, Bobby," outnumbered most of the crowds that
attended Red Raider home games this season.
|  | | Bob Knight makes a "Guns Up" sign as Texas Tech's newest basketball coach. |
Athletic director Gerald Myers presented Knight with a red
sweater vest. He said he expected that the coach would don his
trademark red sweater when the weather turned colder.
"This is without a doubt the most comfortable red sweater I've
had in six years," said Knight, who was known for wearing sweaters
while stalking the Indiana sideline during the last 29 seasons.
Indiana University spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the school's
president and athletic director wish him well. "We wish him luck
in that red sweater," Dillman said.
Knight appeared to stumble over the words "Red Raiders" a few
times while referring to his new team. He also mispronounced school
president David Schmidly's name several times.
In a flash of his traditional self-confidence, Knight said,
"I'm not right all of the time, but when it comes to this game,
I'm right most of the time."
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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*
|
47
|
816
|
484
|
.628
|
|
4. Henry Iba |
41
|
767
|
338
|
.694
|
|
5. Bob Knight*
|
35
|
763
|
290
|
.725
|
|
6. Lefty Drisell*
|
40
|
762
|
377
|
.669
|
|
7. Jerry Tarkanian*
|
30
|
759
|
187
|
.802
|
|
7. Ed Diddle
|
42
|
759
|
302
|
.715
|
|
9. Phog Allen
|
48
|
746
|
281
|
.726
|
|
10. Norm Stewart
|
38
|
731
|
375
|
.661
|
|
*-denotes active coach
|
After the brief rally, the fiery coach asked the crowd to stay
for a news conference and encouraged them to react to reporters'
questions. At one point, when a newspaper reporter asked for a
follow-up question, Knight declined. When the reporter insisted,
Knight asked the audience, "How many of you want to hear a
follow-up from this guy?"
The crowd booed loudly.
Knight's temper led to his firing from Indiana in September. He
had coached the Hoosiers to three national titles.
After missing his first college season since 1963-64, Knight
signed a five-year, $1.25 million deal with Tech. Myers told the Lubbock
Avalanche-Journal that Knight's annual compensation will include
$250,000 in base salary, $150,000 in deferred income and a minimum
of $500,000 in guaranteed outside income, including speaking
engagements and shoe and radio deals.
Knight exhorted Tech fans to buy season tickets and "to raise a
lot of hell" at games next year.
"What you folks have here, you've got a great university,"
Knight said. "I'm really happy to be a small part of this
university."
He said he is giving $10,000 to the school's library because it
"is the heart and soul of the university."
Knight also said he was intent on delivering a team that the
fans would enjoy watching. Tech already has a successful women's
basketball program.
Schmidly said he was looking for immediate improvement with the
men.
"A year from now, when they start talking about Texas Tech, I
think they're going to say we're the school where both the women
and the men are champions," Schmidly said.
There are no behavior-related clauses in the contract, other
than the standard requirements of all Tech employees, Myers said.
Tech policy states that "cause for termination includes failure to
perform duties, actions that are detrimental to the university, and
any violation of university, Big 12 or NCAA rules."
Knight's wife, Karen, told the fans they will find a friend in
Knight.
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Knight already naming assistants
|
|
Even before being officially announced as the head coach, Bob Knight has selected two assistants for his program at Texas Tech – son Pat Knight, and Bob Beyer, the former Siena coach and Northwestern assistant.
Pat Knight currently is an assistant at Akron.
Others being considered for assistants sports include Les Fertig, an assistant at Indiana, and Dennis Harp, former head coach at Hardin Simmons.
– ESPN.com
|
"Some people have often referred to him as having a temper, and
I just see everyday what I call a huge passion for living, he has a
passion for everything he does," she said. "I just ask to do just
one thing: Please don't pass judgment until you've had a chance to
know him. That's the only thing I ask . . . If he's a friend he'll
be your friend for life."
The salary puts him a little behind other coaches in the Big 12
Conference, where the average package is $500,000. Some of the
higher-profile programs pay much more: Larry Eustachy at Iowa State
makes at least $900,000 in total compensation.
Myers said the hiring would give the Red Raiders instant
national credibility.
"I think this is the beginning of something special," Myers
said. "We've got the opportunity to make this program competitive
at the highest level of college basketball."
Knight, 60, was the only serious candidate to replace James
Dickey, even though about 100 of the university's 900 faculty
members signed a petition advising against the move.
Indiana axed Knight for breaking a no-tolerance behavior policy
imposed after a series of behavior problems. His list of outbursts
is almost as long as his list of coaching accomplishments.
Knight's most infamous flare-up in a game was tossing a chair
across a court. Years earlier, he was convicted for hitting a
Puerto Rican policeman before a practice at the Pan American Games.
Other transgressions include kicking his son's leg during a game
and allegedly choking a player in a practice. The final straw was
when he grabbed the arm of a student who referred to the coach by
his last name.
"The General" did not seriously consider any coaching jobs
until this one. Tech officials first met with him early this month
in Florida, four days before Dickey was fired.
With Myers pushing for the hiring of his longtime friend, the
biggest hurdle was a school rule that prevented it from being
completed until 10 business days after Dickey was dismissed.
Tech is counting on Knight to improve a program stuck in reverse
since reaching the Sweet 16 five years ago. NCAA sanctions that
cost nine scholarships over the last four years were part of the
problem.
Knight – whose programs have always followed NCAA rules and had
high graduation rates – should help the Red Raiders become more of
a factor in the competitive Big 12, which sent five teams to the
NCAA Tournament.
"We've had a problem with NCAA penalties and that's set this
institution back," Schmidly said. "We don't ever want to be on
the wrong side of the NCAA rules again."
Lagging ticket sales has been another problem at the 2-year-old,
$68 million United Spirit Arena. Tech's high-profile women's
program consistently outdrew the men's team and has been far more
popular. While that may change soon, Lady Raiders coach Marsha
Sharp has endorsed the hiring of Knight.
Talk about Knight's hiring has led to a surge in interest for
season tickets. And local clothing stores that carry Tech
paraphernalia also have enjoyed a boost.
"It's been nuts," said Red Raider Outfitter vice president
Stephen Spiegelberg.
The store was planning to sell $12 red-and-black camouflage
T-shirts at the arena Friday that read: "The General's Army:
Serving to Protect the U-Knighted Spirit Arena."
Protecting their home court wasn't something the Red Raiders did
particularly well this season. The team was 7-8 at home and
finished 9-19 overall.
The season before Knight was hired by Indiana, the Hoosiers went
7-17, 3-11 in Big Ten. They were 17-7, 9-5 in his first season and
went on to win four consecutive Big Ten titles from 1973 to 1976.
Overall, Knight has amassed a 763-289 career record while
coaching at Army for six years and Indiana for 29. Besides three
national championships, his record includes 11 Big Ten
championships and an Olympic gold medal in 1984.
Knight is 117 victories behind former North Carolina coach Dean
Smith, who leads the NCAA Division I all-time coaching victories
list.
Tech administrators would like to see Knight surpass Smith while
at Tech. The new Red Raiders coach already has begun recruiting.
He was in Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday for the national junior
college tournament, where two Tech signees were playing. And he
called a Houston-area high school coach on Wednesday to let him
know he wanted one of his players to visit Tech and hopes to sign
him.
"We're getting one of the greatest basketball coaches of all
time, and he is getting the opportunity to finish up what has
already been a great career," Myers said. "Texas Tech will be a
better place for hiring Bob Knight."
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ALSO SEE
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Formal talks begin between Knight, Tech president
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Bobby Knight news conference
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's Ed Werder examines whether there will be a new Bob Knight in Texas.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Bobby Knight tells Texas Tech fans what they can expect with him at the helm of the basketball program.
wav: 351 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Professor Ed George says Bob Knight has reassured the faculty and staff at Texas Tech that he has changed.
wav: 135 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Texas Tech president David Schmidly says Bob Knight has learned a lot over the past year.
wav: 118 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dick Vitale on Bob Knight being named the new coach at Texas Tech.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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