Noon Edition airs on Fridays at noon on WFIU.

The death of legendary Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight Wednesday at the age of 83 is a reminder of the imprint he had on the sport.

Knight coached the Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000, guiding his teams to national championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987. During that time, IU also won 11 Big Ten championships and was considered one of the top programs in the country.

Read more: Legendary IU basketball coach Bob Knight dies at 83

Knight’s accolades included winning national coach of the year and Big Ten coach of the year awards, leading the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal, and being inducted into the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame. His players graduated and succeeded in life.

But he had his detractors, too. His fiery temper got him in hot water on multiple occasions, and eventually IU President Myles Brand fired him.

Read more: Bob Knight: 1940-2023 

The outspoken coach moved on to Texas Tech and left there on his terms and with 902 total coaching victories – the most in NCAA Division I basketball at that time.

Knight avoided Bloomington for nearly 20 years, but returned in 2019 and to a hero’s welcome from his loyal fans and many previous players.

Read more: IU Athletics to honor Bob Knight throughout season, no public service planned

This week on Noon Edition, we will talk about Coach Knight with some of his former players.

You can follow us on Twitter at @NoonEdition or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org. 

Guests

John Laskowski — Former IU basketball player, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

Steve Green — Former IU basketball player