Bob Knight statue at Indiana? How loved and loathed coach should be honored. Or should he?

A bronze statue of John Wooden stands on the campus of UCLA, memorializing the coach who won 10 NCAA basketball titles in the 1960s and 1970s. Inside the practice facility at Georgetown, named in John Thompson's honor, is a towering, 8-foot, sculpted homage to the legendary coach.

Adolph Rupp, one of college basketball's winningest coaches, has Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky. And coaching icon Dean Smith's name is on the building where the University of North Carolina plays its basketball games.

Purdue's Gene Keady has Keady Court at Mackey Arena. Tom Izzo has the Tom Izzo Football Building at Michigan. Roy Williams has Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center at UNC.

But at Indiana University, Bob Knight's name, likeness and image is void on campus. Maybe that's what he wanted. Or it might be what his family wants. Or it could be what the university wants. No one knows everything that played into the final, complicated relationship between Knight and IU.

Despite Knight's long-awaited return to Assembly Hall in 2020 − two decades after being fired from the university following a legendary run of basketball successes that also included well-documented, controversial behavior − IU said last week it would not hold a memorial service for Knight, per his family's wishes, after he died Wednesday at the age of 83.

Any longstanding tribute to the coach on campus, basketball or otherwise, has not been announced. IU said Friday the university's official position is "now and moving forward to respect the family's wishes on any tribute or other honoring of Knight."

But even if the family wanted a permanent tribute to Knight on campus, would the university oblige? Knight, after all, didn't retire or leave on his own terms. He was fired.

"I suspect that the university would come to regret erecting a statue for Bob Knight," said Dr. Rob Ruck, a professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, who specializes in sports history. "A decision to do so would expose it to blowback because Knight’s behavior contradicted the values that the institution espouses."

But fans of Knight, in the wake of his death, aren't focusing on his "behavior." They are remembering a coach they loved, who gave them must-see Hoosier basketball for nearly three decades, who led their team to three NCAA titles. And they want IU to do something to honor their larger than life, raucous, legendary coach who won a school record 662 games.

IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, ran two unofficial, non-scientific polls on social media after Knight's death, asking respondents how they believed IU should honor Knight − or not honor him.

Of nearly 1,000 responses, 38.9% said there should be a Knight statue on campus; 33.4% said the main court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall should be renamed after him; 14.4% said IU should do nothing; and 13.3% voted for a Bloomington street named after Knight.

More than 50 other people weighed in with a variety of ideas. Rename the library in Knight's honor, due to his focus on academics. Dedicate a practice court at Assembly Hall. Donate in his name to violence prevention charities. Rename the basketball arena Bob Knight Assembly Hall.

Those polls brought with them plenty of opinions and some biting words. It seems almost as controversial as Knight's coaching style is what should or should not be done to honor him at IU.

"Clear heads should have long discussions about what to do, if anything," Ken Beckley, Knight's close friend of 25 years, told IndyStar after the coach's death. "Certainly not now. Emotions must be removed for such a decision."

The problem with a statue: 'He declined and we respect that'

Among the majority of IU fans calling for a Bob Knight statue somewhere on campus is former player Kirk Haston. As he posted on X Friday about the "RMK" (Robert Montgomery Knight) patches IU players will wear on their uniforms this season, he said:

"Great idea ... Now let's go ahead and start working on getting a statue outside of Assembly Hall."

But there is a problem with a Knight statue. Several years ago, when IU erected granite sculptures commemorating its five national championship teams outside the south lobby of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Knight wasn't included. And that was, according to the university, his choice.

A news release announcing the sculptures in 2017, said that Knight had asked not to be depicted in any of the statues memorializing his three titles, specifically in the piece honoring his undefeated 1976 national championship team.

At the time, IU's athletic director Fred Glass said, "It is the university's policy to seek permission to include persons in any bust, sculpture or depiction, either directly or via descendants.

"He declined and we respect that."

Steve Sherman, a psychology professor at IU during Knight's coaching tenure and his friend, said adding a Knight statue on campus now "because he died seems cheesy." And he believes Knight's family should have the final say in any honor.

But Sherman is hoping something will be done.

"I am not a fan of a street name. People, especially over time, will not connect the name 'Knight Street' with the person, unless it is named 'Robert M. Knight Boulevard.' But I'm not a fan of that either," he said. "I do like naming the court. It is his court − the wins, the excitement, the chair."

And while more than a third of people polled agreed with Sherman, that the basketball court at Assembly Hall should be renamed in Knight's honor, there is a problem with that idea, too.

'Court was Knight's canvas where he painted masterpieces'

When the 17,222-seat Assembly Hall opened more than 50 years ago, its court was named after Branch McCracken, who coached IU basketball to its first two national titles in 1940 and 1953. The Branch McCracken Court remains today.

"Branch McCracken was a legendary coach prior to Bob Knight," Beckley said. "And it would be disrespectful to replace his name on the court."

Others suggested simply adding Knight's name, perhaps the Branch McCracken-Bob Knight Court. Or the McCracken-Knight Court. Or the Knight-McCracken Court.

Ed Stone doesn't want to disrespect McCracken, but he believes Knight's name should be on that court in some way.

"People can rightfully say what they want about the man outside the four corners of the arena," said Stone, a longtime IU fan. "But the court was his canvas on which he painted countless masterpieces of coaching. That can’t be disputed."

Pete Toloday, who took Knight's class on coaching basketball as an undergrad at IU in the mid 1990s, agrees.

"As Dick Vitale has said a thousand times, they need to name the court after Bobby," Toloday said. "He was always portrayed as a villain, but he did many great things for others, such as taking the team to Riley Hospital for Children every year. My senior year, he donated most of his salary to the IU campus library."

But Rob Rueff, a longtime Indiana basketball guru and former sports reporter, says Assembly Hall's court name should be off limits.

"The court is already named after a great coach in Branch McCracken," he said. "If they want to do a statue? OK. Maybe name the practice facility after him. But the court is named and shouldn’t be changed."

Bob Knight Memorial Way?

Gary Lowe, who was a student at IU in the mid-1980s, shrugged off the statue or court naming honor and, instead, said a section of Fee Lane, a street which runs north and south through IU's campus, should be renamed Bob Knight Memorial Way.

"Should the way he left IU proscribe how he is remembered? Definitely not," said Dee Enrico Janik, who was a student at IU in the early 1970s. "Bobby was very much loved by alums, however a statue or a court are a little over the top considering the end and the long history of greats who have not been so honored."

Janik suggested, too, that an IU street by Assembly Hall be named in the coach's honor. "Doing nothing is absolutely out of the question," he said. "Swallow your pride IU administration and give coach Knight his due for what he brought to Indiana basketball."

Bobby Cordingley, an attorney who studied at IU, said he would like to see the Simon family allow Assembly Hall to be renamed Bob Knight Assembly Hall with the main entrance or another part of the arena named after Simon Skjodt. Others said the financial ramifications of that would be a problem.

And naming a building in Knight's honor would take time. According to IU's policy, "for memorial naming of major facilities and major organizations, a five-year waiting period shall be observed after the death or retirement of the individual before consideration for such distinction, unless specifically approved by the board of trustees."

As Liann Tsoukas weighed in on the possibilities of honoring Knight, she remembered her time in Indiana getting her Ph.D.

"Bobby Knight was an icon. He elevated the game of basketball, and he elevated the state," said Tsoukas, now a professor of history, specializing in sports, at the University of Pittsburgh. "He was respected, admired, beloved and adored. With Bobby Knight, what you see is what you get, love him or hate him. No matter where you land on that spectrum, his impact and meaning to individuals is undeniable."

As for finding a way to honor Knight, Tsoukas said that is a difficult question.

"Coach Knight's limitations were obvious, broadcast widely, and led to his firing from IU. Reckoning with Knight's meaning and legacy is beyond my capacity," Tsoukas said. "I do think his meaning can't be reduced to a statue, particularly in this culture where public monuments force reappraisal and, in this case, there will be reverence and condemnation."

But Beckley wants people to remember there was so much more to Knight than the tirades that made headlines. There was his dedication to his players, making sure they graduated and found success in life. And there was Knight's soft and giving side.

He said a statue of Knight in the south lobby of Assembly Hall near the 1976 team sculpture would be fitting.

Other thoughts on honoring (or not honoring) Knight

Dale Pleak: "I graduated from IU in 1969, then 1973.  IU basketball coached by Bob Knight was must-see TV. It’s complicated because the university fired coach Knight. But that was over 20 years ago. I would pick to rename the court for coach. Doing nothing is just wrong, in my opinion. I felt like this should have been done before his passing."

Mark Springer: "Something near the library as academics was important to him."

Charles Ray: Voted to do nothing in honor of Knight. "Bob Knight was a narcissist."

Andy Goshen: "Put up a statue and rename the court at Assembly Hall McCracken-Knight Court."

David Shank: "I was never a fan of Knight for hundreds of reasons, but I appreciated his discipline for his players and the academic rigor. A practice court at Assembly Hall named for him is appropriate."

Kelsi Cunnigham: "Donate in his name to violence prevention charities."

Gary Miller: "Rename the library." The IU library is now named for Herman B. Wells, the university's eleventh president and its first university chancellor, who helped build the university into a world-renowned institution.

John Felter: "Please respect the family’s wishes."

Steve Smith: "Hard to believe shortly after he came back in 2020 that they didn't name the court after coach ... hope they do it now."

Dr. Rob Ruck: "A better way to remember Knight would be create a forum in which his accomplishments and outrageously demeaning conduct could be soberly discussed. Confronting the past, even when uncomfortable, can help create a better future. The sporting world that shaped Knight has changed and if sport is to realize its potential, especially for youth, it would be a mistake to honor what we should no longer tolerate."

Brian Kinnaman: "Statue outside Assembly Hall and rename the drive into the library General Drive.”

Jason Fields: "Robert Montgomery Knight Court at Assembly Hall."

Pamela Jordan Stephenson: "It’s his family’s wishes since IU disgraced him. It would be nice if IU did do something, but doubtful they would."

IU Insider Zach Osterman contributed to this story.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Indiana should honor Bob Knight, controversial coach who was fired