USA coaching legend Bobby Knight passes away at 83

BLOOMINGTON (USA) - Bobby Knight, a giant in the coaching profession who led the USA to Olympic gold in 1984 and steered Indiana to three NCAA titles in a long and successful career, has passed away at his home in Indiana.

He was 83.

Knight was the last coach of a USA team made up of college players that won the Olympic gold medal. His USA team in Los Angeles rolled to eight wins in as many games.

(Photo via USA Basketball)

Knight had a great team that included Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullen - three players that would eight years later star for the Dream Team that captured gold at the Barcelona Olympics. 

Knight launched his collegiate head coaching career at Army in 1965, where one of his players was future USA and Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and then established himself as one of the best coaches in American college hoops while at the helm of the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000.

Knight's point guard at Army was future USA coach Mike Krzyzewski

The first of his NCAA titles as a coach was 1976, when Knight's Hoosiers went undefeated. They are the last college team to go through an entire season without losing a game.

His best teams were always hailed for their defense, and he had players that went on to have legendary careers, like Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas, who won an NCAA Title with the Hoosiers in 1981 when they defeated Dean Smith's North Carolina Tar Heels in the Final in Philadelphia.

Quinn Buckner (left) and Scott May helped Knight's Indiana go unbeaten in 1976, then won Olympic gold in Montreal

FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Smith was among those who had tremendous respect for Knight.

One of Knight's famous comments was: "The key is not the 'will to win'...everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."

He also once said: "Everybody hears, but few listen." 

Knight was Associated Press Coach of the Year three times and the Big Ten Coach of the Year five times.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.

FIBA