KU coach Bill Self reacts to death of Hall of Famer Bob Knight: ‘We lost a legend’
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self learned of the death of fellow Hall of Famer Bob Knight shortly before the start of Wednesday night’s home exhibition game against Fort Hays State.
“We lost a legend,” Self, KU’s 21st-year coach, said of Knight, whose teams won 902 games in 42 seasons combined at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech.
“What an impact he had on a lot of lives,” Self continued. “When I went to coach at Illinois (in 2000), one of the reasons I was most looking forward to go there was to coach in the same league as coach Knight. That did not happen, but we did (coach against each other) when he was at Tech. We became friends. I don’t hunt or fish. Those are his real friends, but we were friends.”
Self, who had a 3-2 record in head-to-head matchups between KU and Texas Tech, reached out to Pat Knight, the man who replaced Bob Knight at Tech, prior to Wednesday’s 7 p.m. tipoff.
“I’m sure it’s hard on the family. I’m sure they are very sad, at the same time very proud,” Self said. “What he did for so many, including Landon Turner (former Hoosier national champion who was paralyzed in 1981) after his car accident (was special).
“People think of a few episodes on the sidelines and stuff that was emotional. (But) this man did a lot for a lot of different people. He will certainly be missed.”
Self continued: “It’s a sad day. He’s been sick for a while. Coach Knight gave an awful lot to the game and an awful lot to a lot of people in only the way that he could do it. I think most people respected it. A lot of people picked holes at it. That’s OK because he is a controversial figure. Nobody could ever doubt or deny the good he did for a lot of people.
“Every one of his players graduated. He did a lot of things for a lot of people that people in his circle knew he did. He wouldn’t go around telling everybody what he was doing. He is an icon and probably as big a figure as our sport has known.”
