Knight returns to Bloomington

A half-hour before Bob Knight was set to appear for a signing of his new book, “The Power of Negative Thinking”, hundreds of fans — young and old and students and Bloomington natives alike — waited in anticipation of his appearance.

And for the first time since 2002, Knight appeared at a public event in Bloomington at Walmart with co-author Bob Hammel. The former IU men’s basketball coach greeted an estimated 900 fans during a three-hour span Thursday afternoon.

“It’s always a reaffirmation of his popularity around here,” Hammel said. “He draws people like I’ve never seen. He has a remarkable connection with Indiana fans.”

Fans started lining up around 8 a.m. Thursday near a table set up amidst cargo shorts and discount shoes, with IU national championship banners draped overhead.

The tables were covered in crimson cloth, and fans were clad in like colors. There was little left to the imagination of whether Knight was still tied to IU.

The first two people in line, sisters Laura Conrad and Kristi Hudelson, waited all morning for the opportunity to meet him. Conrad, an IU student from 1985-87, and Hudelson, whose son is a sophomore at IU, drove an hour-and-a-half from Paoli, Ind., at 6:30 a.m. to get to Bloomington early enough.

For Conrad, it was her first opportunity to reunite with Knight after she knew him when she was a front desk manager at the Ramada Inn, the same hotel Knight’s players would stay at before home games. Hudelson said she felt like meeting him would be an opportunity she could not miss out on.

“You don’t get over Bobby Knight,” Conrad said. “It’s awesome. It’s wonderful that he’d come back to Bloomington.”

At 12:33 p.m., 27 minutes before they were supposed to begin signing, Knight and Hammel walked through the main doors of Walmart and made their way over to the table.

Fans stood starstruck. Some could not help themselves from smiling, while others took photographs in disbelief. For Hudelson and Conrad, seeing Knight in person meant more than getting to meet the man who brought three national championships back to IU.

Less than a year ago, their mother — an avid IU fan — passed away. They said it would have been her dream to have the chance to meet him, but it never came. Instead, they were in her place as Knight called them over to greet them.

Hudelson and Conrad conversed with him for a span of three minutes and Knight seemed eager and happy to talk. They spoke about Conrad and Knight’s experiences at the Ramada Inn, in which Knight said they “didn’t break any rules, it was OK.” The ladies told him how excited they were that he was finally back in Bloomington.

Before they were ushered out of line, the conversation shifted to how they wished their mother was there.

“He said he really appreciated our stories, it was such an honor,” Hudelson said, tearing up while she spoke. “This is great, it was one of the most exciting days of my life.”

Fan after fan went up to a maroon-clad Knight, thanking him for what he has done for IU; telling him stories about how they met decades ago, about how great of an honor it was to finally meet him.

Knight responded and conversed back. Fans took photos of him and with him, and soon he decided to start signing materials other than just his new book. He autographed items ranging from an IU jersey and a framed photograph to a 2012-13 IU program that featured a Cody Zeller cover.

Ninth-year IU student Tyler Nolting, currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in health behavior, had the opportunity to meet Knight nearly an hour into the event. Knight signed eight copies of “The Power of Negative Thinking” and also signed another two books, including one signed by former IU president Herman B Wells.

For Nolting, who has been at every IU home game since 2004, encountering a more-than-willing Knight came as a pleasant surprise.

“He was very generous, and it seemed like he was in a good mood and that he really appreciated (my educational background),” Nolting said. “It’s something I never thought would happen with Coach Knight coming back to Bloomington, so it’s a great surprise.”

Right after Nolting left, 10-year-old Brigit Emerick walked up to Knight. She had waited all morning to meet him, and had to make it back to school by 2:30 p.m. in time to present a project on Knight himself.

Carrying a basketball in hand, Emerick sat down in front of him and was unable to wipe a smile off her face. Much like he had done during his 25-plus years at IU, Knight challenged his fan and asked her why she wanted his autograph.

“We had to do our project on a historical figure,” Emerick said. “Everyone was doing Abraham Lincoln but I wanted to choose you.”

“Good answer,” a smiling Knight responded.

Emerick handed Knight a still-boxed basketball, and when she was asked where she got it from, she said was from K-Mart.

“It was my mom’s fault,” Emerick said to him.

Knight laughed and signed his autograph, as Emerick left with a moment she said she will never forget.

Though the event was designed to last only until 3 p.m., Knight and Hammel continued to sign books for an additional 45 minutes. Walmart organizers had to cut off the line after a certain point.

When all was said and done, Knight stood and walked to the employee’s lounge. He then signed books and took photos with the Walmart representatives before leaving with Hammel.

Despite the rainy weather, what was clear Thursday afternoon was that fans could find comfort in Knight's return to the town that built him into an icon.

“Well for one thing, he wanted to sell books,” Hammel said. “But it’s a two-way connection and he’s said he’s happy for Indiana fans. They’re the greatest fans in college basketball.”