My husband Steve and I are both IU alumni, graduates of the class of 1997. We were both shocked and dismayed by the dismissal of Coach Knight Sunday. We watched in awe the press conference by President Brand explaining the reasoning behind the firing. If Brand thinks that this decision is the best for the University, he could not be any farther from the truth. The firing of Coach Knight will damage the University far more than anything Coach Knight could possibly have done over his entire career at IU. Coach Knight is as much a part of the institution that is IU, as the Indiana Memorial Union, the Main Library or Ballantine Hall.\nFor any of us who have grown up watching Bobby Knight and have accepted the IU basketball program, with all its losses as well as its victories, as not just a college basketball team but a part of our lives, it is a great loss. A successful program is more than a team that wins, but a team that succeeds off the court as well as on. Coach Knight demanded a great deal from his players, and the respect they show for him speaks a great deal about the quality of his person, not just his coaching.\nThe sanctions set up against Coach Knight set up the coach to fail. The University's instituted "zero tolerance" policy clearly had nothing to do with any concern over the safety of any students or players, as much as it was a tool for the University to keep Coach Knight in line. Not showing up to Varsity Club functions, making "angry and inflammatory remarks about University officials and the board of trustees." Come on! And then there are the circumstances surrounding Kent Harvey. Coach Knight has clearly also been stripped of the ability to demand the respect due him.\nThe University is losing more than a coach. Love him or loathe him, Coach Bobby Knight is as much an irrevocable part of Indiana basketball and Indiana University as the values he instills in his players, the inspiration he inspires in those who long to play under him, and the love for Indiana basketball he excites in all who have grown up watching him and longing to be a part of Indiana University. His loss will be felt by all those who have been a part of Indiana University. Those who have not been a part of the IU experience may not completely understand the loss. If they did, they could not say that this result is the best for the University.\nFor all of us who have followed his career -- Thanks, Coach Knight! You will be sorely missed!
Kacy Strell Pflugner\nClass of 1997
