Northeast Ohio native and Hoosier coach Bob Knight remembered with new bobblehead
A Northeast Ohio sports legend is being memorialized with a new bobblehead.
Although he is best known as the spirited and on rare occasion chair-throwing Hoosiers head basketball coach, Robert "Bob" Montgomery Knight grew up in Ohio.
Knight died in November.
And now his hall of fame career is being remembered in a limited edition bobblehead announced Friday by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame Museum in Milwaukee.
Born in Massillon, Knight grew up in Orrville and played basketball at Ohio State and was part of Fred Taylor’s 1960 national championship-winning team that also included future NBA Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas.
Fresh out of Ohio State and at the age of just 21, Knight embarked on his coaching career by starting out as junior varsity coach at Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1962-63. He went 13-3 in his lone season there.
He went on to bigger and better things.
He won three national championships as the head coach of Indiana in 1976, 1981 and 1987.
He also coached teams at Army and Texas Tech and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The bobblehead that costs $40 features the legendary coach standing on a basketball court base with the words "Bob Knight" and the "General" and pointing as if shouting out instructions to his team.
It includes his memorable quotes such as “mental is to physical as four is to one” along with the three national championships banners he won.
The bobblehead is available for sale on the museum's website at bobbleheadhall.com and bobknight.com.
Knight's family said it is an honor to have a new bobblehead released to mark the coach's remarkable career.
“Knight Legacy is excited to be partnering with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame again to launch this one of a kind bobblehead highlighting my father’s career achievements and preserving his legacy," said his son, Pat. "Being the last team to go undefeated in 1976 is something talked about at this time every year and something coach was very proud of for this team reaching their full potential and accomplishing their goal.”
National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said it only makes sense that Knight should be remembered with another bobblehead.
"We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Knight Legacy to add this very special bobblehead of Coach Knight to the collection,” Sklar said. “One of the most successful coaches in history, ‘The General’ has a list of career accomplishments worthy of a special bobblehead.”
This is not the first bobblehead to honor Knight with previous incarnations featuring Knight wearing his signature red sweater and another commemorating his infamous chair-throwing incident that occurred during a game in the 1984-85 season.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Northeast Ohio native and Hoosier coach Bob Knight gets new bobblehead
