Time to honor Bob Knight

Call me the virtual Assembly Hall gym rat – minus jump shot and jockstrap.
I’ve been kicked out of Bob Knight closed practices. I’ve been invited down to meet the man and watch practices. I’ve had tickets since they built the place. Now, I’m excited by the promise and energy of this young man from Milwaukee. Sampson is with the Milwaukee Bucks. Good trade-off.

However, I expect to spend lots of intermissions this year pondering opponents’ sizeable halftime leads. I’ll wander down the ramp to the Hall of Fame portraits proudly paraded across the wall. I’ll see former coaches from all sports. I’ll see former players – many from the Knight era. I’ll see old friends of mine, such as Claude Rich and then Bob Dro of the 1940 championship team. But, I don’t see the “General” – holder of unrivaled credentials – on the wall.

Bob Knight would probably say he could care less, but many of us care a lot. It’s time we stopped treating Robert Montgomery Knight like some Pete Rose baseball pariah and honor his contributions to IU. Those of us who remember those years will cherish them for a lifetime.

Jerry Gregory
IU alumnus