Indiana men’s basketball’s most legendary figure will soon be permanently honored inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, as the program announced Monday night it will erect a statue of the late Bob Knight.
The bronze statue will stand next to the 1975-76 Hoosiers’ statues in the south lobby of the famed arena, which opened in 1971 — the same season Knight arrived at Indiana.
Knight won three national championships across his 29-year tenure at the helm of the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers won 11 Big Ten championships and made five Final Four appearances under Knight.
"Coach Knight’s influence on the game of basketball is immeasurable, but his impact on this university and Hoosier basketball fans is even deeper," Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said in the release. “...This statue will be a well-deserved tribute to a man who didn't just win games; he changed how the sport is played."
Knight, who died in November 2023, is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. His 1975-76 squad, which was honored at halftime of Indiana’s contest with Oregon on Monday, remains the most recent undefeated national champion.
Knight left a mark as one of the best all-time collegiate coaches with his fiery nature on the sideline. He popularized the motion offense throughout his time in Bloomington, which led to 662 wins as a Hoosier, before he was fired in September 2000.
Brian Hanlon of Hanlon Studios will “design and fabricate” the statue. Further details on the project timeline will be announced in the coming months, per the release, while the project is fully-funded by an anonymous long-time Indiana men’s basketball supporter.
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