I want a persistent player, not the consistent player. I want a team that is persistent, unyielding, enduring, staying with something despite obstacles. —Bob Knight
At this year’s event, Robroy Industries is proud to welcome, as our special guest, a man who became an American icon by demanding and achieving excellence—-Bob Knight.
Bob Knight is a legendary coach because he has consistently developed winners on the basketball court. He has accomplished this feat by insisting on the mastery of fundamentals, on unselfish team play, on attention to detail, on a hard work ethic, and on the principle of never making excuses. Of even greater importance, Coach Knight has devoted his remarkable career to training young athletes not only in the skills of the game but also in the skills of succeeding at life.
The world is full of “ordinary heroes” achieving “extraordinary” results because they are committed to performing their jobs in the best possible way.
COACH BOB KNIGHT
In college basketball, the names Robert Montgomery and “Bob” Knight are synonymous with greatness and winning.
The numbers and achievements that illustrate what Bob Knight has done for the game of basketball are there for all to see. Amongst his numerous achievements:
As a player for Ohio State University:
- NCAA championship (1960)
As a head coach:
- 98% graduation rate of his student athletes (compared to the national average of 42%)–-his proudest accomplishment!
- 41+ seasons as a head coach at the Division One level
- Career Record: 902 wins – 371 losses
- Established the standard for career NCAA wins (880 victories) on January 1, 2007
- Three NCAA national championships (1976, 1981, 1987)
- Five NCAA regional championships – Final Four (1973, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1992)
- Eleven Big Ten regular season championships
- NIT national championship 1979
Awards:
- Inducted – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame (1991)
- Inducted – College Basketball Hall Of Fame (2006)
- Gold Medal – Head Coach – U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, world champions 1984
- Gold Medal – Head Coach – U.S. Men’s Pan American Basketball Team, champions 1979
- Two-time Henry Iba Award (1975, 1989)
- Naismith College Coach Of The Year (1987)
- Clair Bee Coach Of The Year (2002)
- Eight-time Big Ten Coach Of The Year
- Naismith Award For Men’s Outstanding Contribution To Basketball (2007)
- Army Sports Hall of Fame (2008)
- Indiana Hoosiers athletics Hall of Fame (2009)
A Lifetime Of Extraordinary Excellence:
Bob Knight is among the youngest head coaches to have won 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 career games. He was the first men’s college basketball coach to have reached 900 wins and until recently was the only member of this exclusive club. When he was 62-years old, he became the youngest of four coaches to reach the milestone of 800 victories. Coach Knight completed his coaching career at Texas Tech on February 2, 2008, with a 67-60 win over Oklahoma State University. He announced his retirement soon after.
During his six seasons at Army, his 29 years at Indiana University and his six and a half seasons at the helm of the Texas Tech Red Raider program, he has experienced nothing short of extraordinary excellence. Most telling, there is the bond that exists between Coach Knight and those who have played for him.
Bob Knight is his own man, one who represents high principles, expectations and demands for his players, his coaching staff and, most of all, himself. Because of his time spent coaching at Army and his disciplinarian nature, Knight earned the nickname “The General.” Coach Knight was well known for the extreme preparation he put into each game and practice. He was often quoted as saying, “Most people have the will to win, and few have the will to prepare to win.”
But he is foremost an educator. His ability to teach young men the game of basketball and the game of life is one of his most noted characteristics.
Coach Knight has proven over and over again that he is the finest basketball coach in America. No other coach can cite NCAA and NIT championships plus Olympic and Pan American gold medals among his achievements. There are only two coaches in the history of collegiate basketball who have won more than the three national championships Knight has won during his career. His coaching achievements were honored in May of 1991 when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2011 Knight was voted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to his accomplishments on the court, Bob Knight is the author of two books. In 2003, he released his autobiography Knight: My Story, and in 2013 he released his second book, The Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach To Achieving Positive Results, in which he takes his coaching technique of understanding the downside, preparing for it, and applying it to business strategy.
Committed to mentoring, Coach Knight’s coaching techniques and teaching skills place him in great demand as a speaker around the country. High school coaches flock to his clinics and his summer camp for youngsters is always filled to capacity. He has long been active in the National Association of Basketball Coaches, serving in various capacities. He served one term as a trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was named an honorary member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honor society. He has also lent his name to help support numerous charitable and youth organizations. In 2008, Bob Knight joined ESPN as a men’s college basketball studio analyst during Championship Week and for coverage of the NCAA Tournament. He continued covering college basketball for ESPN throughout the 2014-15 season.
Bob Knight’s legacy stretches far beyond the realm of his numerous achievements and highly recognized status on the hard court. In August 2003, he was honored as the first inductee in The Vince Lombardi Titletown Legends. The honor pays tribute to individuals who possess the characteristics instilled by Vince Lombardi in all of his players: Dedication, Teamwork, Respect, Love, Family and Discipline.
A native of Orrville, Ohio, Knight is a graduate of Ohio State, where he was a member of the Buckeye basketball team. After graduating with a degree in History and Government, Knight was an assistant coach at Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) High School one year before entering the U.S. Army where he was assigned to assist Coach Tates Locke at West Point. When Locke became head coach at Miami (Ohio) University in 1965, Knight, then only 24, was named to succeed him–becoming the youngest Varsity Coach in major collegiate history.
The rest, as they say, is history. Extraordinary history. A history of extraordinary, un-compromised success.
Your Robroy Industries Gourmet Dessert Reception Hosts
Peter McIlroy
Rob & Shelley McIlroy
Jeff & Erica McIlroy
David Marshall
Jeff & Debby Seagle
Steve & Melissa Voelzke
Craig Mitchell
Stephanie Ellis
Robroy Industries Dessert Event Details
9:00 PM – 12:00 MIDNIGHT • Thursday, May 12
Ballrooms A-D, MARRIOTT RENNAISANCE HOTEL, WASHINGTON, D.C.
- Outstanding Desserts • Fresh Fruits • Ice Cream Sundae Bar • Cordials • Specialty Coffees • Great Live Music • Old and New Friends!
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