Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight won three national championships, 11 Big Ten titles and 902 career games. He led the last undefeated Division I men鈥檚 basketball champion. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1984 and a national title as an Ohio State player in 1960.
Knight's family announced his . To help remember the tempestuous giant of the sport, here's a sampling of some of Knight鈥檚 most memorable quotes:
___
鈥淚f you want to be a real winner, you have to consider a place like Indiana. (Long Island coach) Clair Bee has been like a father to me ever since I鈥檝e been in the East. He told me I had no choice; I had to go to Indiana. And I felt the same way,鈥� 鈥� Knight, after becoming Hoosiers coach in 1971.
___
鈥淒efense is the key to winning in any sport and that鈥檚 what I believe in." 鈥� Knight, at his introductory news conference in 1971.
___
鈥淢y little talk to them went like this: Winning the Big Ten didn鈥檛 make any difference and winning the national championship didn鈥檛 make any difference. If you will continue to work and follow what we want done, you have the ability to go undefeated and anything less than that would not be the equivalent of what your capabilities were." 鈥� Knight on his opening message to the 1975-76 team in the movie
___
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 the goal of any coach to reach the NCAA Tournament. It鈥檚 almost beyond the realm of comprehension to think you can win it.鈥� 鈥� Knight after the Hoosiers completed their undefeated season for the first of his three national titles.
___
鈥淚鈥檝e always said, all along, that if I ever get to a point where I can鈥檛 control myself, I鈥檒l quit.鈥� 鈥� Knight to Sports Illustrated in 1981.
___
鈥淚 should have gone to his home and talked to him. I鈥檓 sure I could have brought him back to IU.鈥� 鈥� Knight to The Bloomington Herald-Times in 1985, reflecting on ___
鈥淚 hear somebody across the floor keep hollering, 鈥楥oach! Coach! Coach Knight!鈥� I get all kinds of suggestions. I try not to pay any attention to it. Here鈥檚 a little old lady across the floor, reminded me of my grandmother. I said, 鈥楧id you want me for something?鈥� She said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e not going to sit down any more today than you have so far, could I have your chair?鈥欌�� 鈥� Knight's joking explanation of why he in 1985.
___
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 look good. In fact, my assistants had just about given up, and so had I. Then I looked down toward the other bench, and I saw (coach) Dale Brown standing there. I knew then that we had a chance. ... To paraphrase Churchill, probably never has so little been done with so much.鈥� 鈥� Knight, referencing the Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament game comeback against LSU en route to his final national championship in 1987.
___
鈥淚 think if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it." 鈥� Knight, to Connie Chung of NBC 51黑料 in 1988. Knight contended the quote was taken out of context, later saying: 鈥淭he word rape can be used in several ways. One is in something that has gone out of control or over which you have no control. It obviously was in that context that I was using the word.鈥�
___
鈥淧robably no motivational device I鈥檝e come across is as good as this.鈥� 鈥� Knight, while in 1992.
___
鈥淲hen my time on Earth is gone and my activities here are past, I want they and my critics can kiss my ass.鈥� 鈥� Knight, on Indiana's Senior Day 1994.
___
鈥淚 think there are circumstances that could develop surrounding any human being that would set that human being off in an abnormal way. I think that we all hope that when such a situation would arise that we can control our emotions, or we can react to the circumstances in such a way that doesn鈥檛 put either that person or people surrounding them in any kind of a highly embarrassing or difficult situation. But I don鈥檛 think that we ever really know.鈥� 鈥� Knight, responding to a question from ESPN's Digger Phelps in 1998 who asked his former coaching rival if he was in the manner of Woody Hayes.
___
鈥�'Son, my name isn鈥檛 Knight to you, it鈥檚 coach Knight or it鈥檚 Mr. Knight. I don鈥檛 call people by their last name and neither should you.'鈥� 鈥� Knight, explaining what he told IU student Kent Harvey during the incident that led to his firing in September 2000.
___
鈥淚 hope they鈥檙e all dead." 鈥� Knight, on Dan Patrick鈥檚 radio show in 2017 while discussing the Indiana decision-makers who fired him. When Patrick noted some of the people had died, Knight responded: 鈥漌ell, I hope the rest of them go.鈥�
___
鈥淓arly failure is usually better than early success, because the lesson in humility lasts a long time and makes you more effective over the long term.鈥� 鈥� Knight, in his book "The Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach To Achieving Positive Results."
___
鈥淚鈥檒l remember that until I鈥檓 gone. You are the best fans in the history of college basketball.鈥� 鈥� Knight, after receiving a standing ovation at Bloomington North High School during a 2017 speech.
___
AP college basketball: and
The Associated Press
