Bob Knight has not yet accepted an invitation to attend his enshrinement in into the Indiana University athletics Hall of
Fame.
But he hasn’t said ‘no’ either. And that has IU Athletics Director Fred Glass heartened. Glass last month sent an intermediary, a close Knight friend (I’m guessing it’s former Bloomington Herald-Times Sports Editor Bob Hammel), to ask Knight to attend the Nov. 6 induction. The following day, there is to be a half-time presentation at IU’s home football game.
Knight will be inducted along with several other IU sports greats, including retired soccer coach Jerry Yeagley and former basketball player Steve Downing. Glass is trying not to get too excited about the proposition of Knight showing up. He hasn’t put any deadline on an RSVP from Knight, who IU fired in 2000.
“It’s very dangerous to try to read the tea leaves,” Glass said. “We don’t want to put any pressure on Coach Knight. I take it as a modest good sign that he didn’t dismiss it out of hand.”
Glass has said that he hopes if Knight accepts the invitation that could be the start of a deeper relationship between the former coach and the university.
Sports marketers speculate that Glass could move to name part of Assembly Hall for Knight, and said that could open up a bevy of corporate sponsorship opportunities. Knight is sure to bristle at any commercialization of his name or affiliation to IU, so Glass is likely to tread lightly there.
But he hasn’t said ‘no’ either. And that has IU Athletics Director Fred Glass heartened. Glass last month sent an intermediary, a close Knight friend (I’m guessing it’s former Bloomington Herald-Times Sports Editor Bob Hammel), to ask Knight to attend the Nov. 6 induction. The following day, there is to be a half-time presentation at IU’s home football game.
Knight will be inducted along with several other IU sports greats, including retired soccer coach Jerry Yeagley and former basketball player Steve Downing. Glass is trying not to get too excited about the proposition of Knight showing up. He hasn’t put any deadline on an RSVP from Knight, who IU fired in 2000.
“It’s very dangerous to try to read the tea leaves,” Glass said. “We don’t want to put any pressure on Coach Knight. I take it as a modest good sign that he didn’t dismiss it out of hand.”
Glass has said that he hopes if Knight accepts the invitation that could be the start of a deeper relationship between the former coach and the university.
Sports marketers speculate that Glass could move to name part of Assembly Hall for Knight, and said that could open up a bevy of corporate sponsorship opportunities. Knight is sure to bristle at any commercialization of his name or affiliation to IU, so Glass is likely to tread lightly there.
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PSR: Looking back on your career, is there anything that stands out that you are most proud of?
BK: I think more than anything I am glad that I had the opportunity to coach at West Point. I look back at that and think of the people that I met and worked with while I was there and the people that played for me while I was there. This past year we had a reunion at Texas Tech with all the former Army players and we had 63 at our reunion. That's gone on for 14 or 15 years and I don't think anybody in coaching regardless of the sport or whether it was college or professional - ever got a better start or a better place to start than I did at West Point and I will always be really grateful for that.