Whatevs.

You can take the record, but you can't fill the shoes of the man who held it.

Bob Knight Sets Record for Most Wins.

Bob Knight has been the game's orneriest coach forever. Now he's the winningest, too. Knight earned career victory No. 880 the hard way when his Texas Tech Red Raiders blew a 20-point lead but withstood a 3-point miss at the buzzer to beat New Mexico 70-68 on Monday in a game lacking the fanfare of his first attempt.

None of Knight's famous friends made it to West Texas to see him break the men's Division I record he shared with former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

Dean Smith: a great man and a class act. A person who fought for civil rights in North Carolina, who graduated world-class basketball teams at a rate of 96%+, who never laid a hand on anybody and comported himself like a professional and a person of substance, who never had a pissy word to say (unlike his competitor down the road, protege of today's honoree, ahem), whose impact on the game is immeasurable, who instilled in his players self-respect and respect for others, who inspired countless people to forge a community of spirit. The day he announced his retirement, this Tar Heel teared up, and I wasn't the only one. Give me Dean Smith over some yelling, chair-throwing, player-hitting blowhard any day. He would have been much more gracious about this than I am being, but then that's because he is the great Dean Smith.

UPDATE: Move over boys, Sandy reminds me that the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history is Pat Summitt with 913 wins and counting. Way to kick ass, Pat! You've got many fans next-door in NC.

Comments

[Sandy]

Hi! I totally agree with the sentiment here, but must point out: The winningest coach in college basketball is neither Bobby Knight nor Dean Smith. It's Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee, with 913 wins!

[ae]

Hi, Sandy! Thanks for dropping in. I totally forgot to mention Pat and then I was too lazy to update the post. Thanks for the reminder. It really deserves a mention.

[handdrummer]

Knight was nearly basketball coach here at dear old PSU. Back in the day when Knight coached at Army (late 60's), PSU was looking for a new coach. The Atheletic Director seriously recruited Knight and was near to signing him when a friend called him and warned him that "State College wasn't ready for Bob Knight."

How right they were.

Just compare Knight to our own class act Joe Paterno. 54 years at the same school. 86% graduation rate (regularly in the top 5 nationally in div 1A). Nearly 400 wins. No scandals.

Go JoePa!

[ae]

Go, Nittany Lions! Go, Joe! I used to love seeing his face everywhere when I was at PSU what seemed like every other weekend in college.

A close shave re: Knight. I am just not built to tolerate loud, pushy types. Ugh. It drives me around the bend that Nancy Pelosi's going to be considered a b*tch on wheels (if she isn't already) for being a decisive and informed professional, and this abusive, chair-throwing blowhard with anger management issues is considered a maverick, Mr. My Way. Feh.