Chris Beard remembers Bob Knight, one of college basketball's 'greatest'

Legendary college basketball head coach Bob Knight has died. He was 83.

A head coach for 43 years, Knight led Indiana to three national championships. A controversial figure known for a hot temper, Knight was fired in 2000 following a mounting series of incidents that included grabbing a student.

The following year, he accepted a head coaching job in the Big 12 at Texas Tech, hiring a recent Texas graduate as his assistant. On Wednesday, that coach, Chris Beard, took to X, formerly Twitter, to thank his longtime mentor.

This is the story of how Beard came to join Knight in Lubbock and appreciate him after he left the program.

After Indiana, Bob Knight went to Texas Tech and was encouraged to hire Chris Beard

Beard had been a student manager for the Longhorns in the mid-1990s under then-coach Tom Penders. After college, he spent two years as community college coach at two schools after a pair of seasons as an assistant at North Texas.

With Knight's son Pat already on board as an assistant with his dad's new team, Pat found Beard coaching in Oklahoma and recommended him to his father.

“Dad called me and said, ‘I found this kid, and I think he would be great for us. He’s got everything we need,’” Pat Knight told the Las Vegas Review Journal. “Chris came to Lubbock, and we hit it off. I hung out with him all weekend and told my dad, ‘This is the guy we need.’"

Chris Beard on Bob Knight's mentoring

His father agreed and mentored Beard through seven seasons at Tech, including a Sweet 16 run. Beard told Dan Patrick in 2019 that he likened getting a chance to work with the longtime coach to getting a doctorate degree.

"I tell the guys all the time that you're gonna get a couple breaks in life. It's just up to you to recognize them and take advantage and that was mine there," Beard said. "It was like a PhD in coaching every day."

Beard stayed on at Tech when Pat Knight took over the program, but went to the American Basketball Association to coach in 2011. After returning to the NCAA, Beard took head coach roles at smaller programs until Texas Tech came calling again in 2016. Beard coached the program for five years, leading them to a national championship game, losing to Virginia in overtime in 2019.

Chris Beard says Bob Knight was 'one of the greatest basketball coaches'

From Tech, Beard returned to his alma mater to take over the Longhorns in 2021. At his introductory press conference, Beard thanked both Pat and Bob Knight.

"I wouldn't be standing here today with this opportunity if I wouldn't have had a break in my lifetime having to be with coach Knight and Pat," Beard said. "You guys know how I feel about you, thank you, coach."

Beard was let go following accusations of domestic abuse by his then-fiancee which were later dropped. Beard was hired in 2023 by the University of Mississippi, echoing his thanks to Knight at the time, too.

"I wouldn't be here without Coach Knight, in my opinion, one of the greatest basketball coaches and the best teacher in the history of college basketball," Beard said.

Beard's first game as the coach of the Rebels is Monday against Alabama State.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Coach Bobby Knight dies after mentoring Chris Beard at Texas Tech