Bobby Knight, longtime Indiana Hoosiers coach, dies at 83

Indiana coach Bobby Knight, here in the 1987 semi-finals, led his Hoosiers to the NCAA men’s basketball championship that year.

Bob Jordan/AP

Basketball Hall of Famer Bobby Knight, whose unapologetic style earned legions of fans and critics alike, died Wednesday at his home in Bloomington, Ind., according to a statement released by his family. He was 83.

Knight was a legendary figure in college basketball. His record earned many admirers and nicknames. To his fans, he was called “the General.” Knight was one of the country’s winningest college coaches, with more than 900 wins by the end of his career.

He also had a reputation of being blunt and profane, with an explosive temper that often led to volatile behavior that marred his achievements.

All that made for a complicated legacy.

Sportswriter John Feinstein, profiled Knight and the Hoosiers in his book, A Season on the Brink, and spoke with NPR in 2008, after Knight had retired.

“When he was good, there was no one better than Bob Knight. He was generous. He cared about his players, he graduated his players. He was the best,” said Feinstein. “When he was bad, there were few worse.”

Yet, Knight was loved by many of his former players and by plenty of fans — especially in basketball loving Indiana — where he spent most of his coaching career.

He was born Robert Montgomery Knight on Oct. 25, 1940, in Massillon, Ohio, and he grew up in Orrville — both small towns about 20 to 30 miles outside of Akron. Knight played basketball in high school and in college; he played for Ohio State under eventual Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor when the Buckeyes won the NCAA championship in 1960.

Knight’s own head coaching career began at West Point….