Indiana announces plans to build bronze Bob Knight statue in honor of Hall of Fame coach

For multiple decades, Bob Knight led Indiana University’s men’s basketball team to unparalleled success. Knight won three national championships, one NIT title and 11 Big Ten Conference titles over his 29 seasons as the team’s head coach.

As acknowledgement of Knight’s excellence, Indiana University announced Monday that it would build a bronze statue of Knight as a way to immortalize his accomplishments.

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The statue of Knight will be displayed at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where Indiana’s men’s and women’s basketball teams play their home games. Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall opened in 1971, Knight’s first year coaching Indiana, and already houses statues honoring the 1976 national championship team. Knight’s statue will “be displayed prominently alongside” those statues, per a school release.

That 1976 national championship team was special, as Knight led it to a perfect 32-0 record during the 1975-76 season. That team remains the last Division I men’s college basketball team to turn in an undefeated season.

During his 29-year run at Indiana, Knight put up a 662–239 record. That, combined with his national championships, led to Knight being inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Knight’s time as Indiana’s head coach ended in controversy, as he was fired shortly after being accused of choking one of his former players. After that story emerged, then-Indiana University president Myles Brand put Knight on a “zero-tolerance” policy. After multiple complaints about Knight’s conduct, Brand fired Knight in 2000. Indiana students were outraged, marching in protest following the firing. Knight took a year off from coaching before heading to Texas Tech, where he spent his final seven seasons as a head coach. Knight put up a 138-82 record with Texas Tech before retiring in 2008.

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For many years following his firing, Knight held a grudge against Indiana. That fence was finally mended in 2020, when Knight attended his first game at the school since his firing in 2000. His presence was met with a rousing ovation.

Three years later, Knight died after a lengthy illness. He was 83.

Indiana University did not reveal a timetable for Knight’s statue, but promised to release more information on the project — which is being designed by Hanlon Studios — in the coming months. The project is being fully-funded thanks to an anonymous men’s basketball supporter, the school said.