Bill Belichick once defended late Bobby Knight after Indiana fired legendary coach in 2000
While Bill Belichick and the late Bobby Knight coached different sports, their similarities are well-established. They are winners in their respective disciplines, with Knight winning 902 games for Army, Indiana and Texas Tech. Meanwhile, Belichick won his 300th game in Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season.
They are also rigid disciplinarians who want circumstances to go according to their way. However, the two highly successful coaches shared a bond, especially after Indiana University fired Knight after the 1999-2000 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season.
Bill Belichick took up for Bobby Knight after Indiana firing
In 2000, Bill Belichick and Bobby Knight experienced significant transitions in their coaching careers. Belichick became the New England Patriots head coach after resigning from the same position with the New York Jets. He wrote his resignation on a napkin a day after he was introduced as the team’s leading tactician.
It’s a job he has fulfilled until now, leading the Patriots for a 24th NFL season. That mark of longevity ties him with Steve Owen for the longest-tenured coach for one team. He is two seasons shy of Don Shula’s mark with the Miami Dolphins and five away from Tom Landry’s 29 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
As Belichick won six Super Bowl titles, Bobby Knight led the Indiana Hoosiers to three NCAA national titles (1975-76, 1980-81, 1986-87). Even after his stint at Bloomington, he helped Texas Tech to five seasons of at least 21 wins.
While Knight’s coaching tactics are controversial, Belichick understands where he’s coming from. Knight’s temper might be alarming, but it works, and the numbers prove his basketball wisdom. That’s why Bill Belichick took Knight’s side after the latter’s infamous firing after the 2000 season.
In a 2000 ESPN feature written by Greg Garber, Belichick talked about the man who had invited him to watch Indiana practices and to address the Hoosiers via half-time speeches:
“Everything he does, regardless of his method, everything has been in the best interest of the kid and the team. When you and I were spanked as children, we didn't realize it at the time, but the intent was to help the kid. That's what his intent is.”
The Patriots head coach said those words after Indiana booted Knight out of their basketball program. It happened after he allegedly grabbed a student by the arm and lectured him about respect. Reports claim that the student, Kent Harvey, said, ‘Hey, what’s up, Knight?’ as he saw the coach in the Assembly Hall corridor.
Around that time, Belichick started what turned out to be a legendary stint with the Patriots. Fast forward to 2023, and he has won six Super Bowl titles and three Coach of the Year honors.
Meanwhile, Knight had a one-year coaching hiatus after 29 consecutive seasons at Indiana. He took the Red Raiders job in 2001 and mentored the squad until the 2007-2008 season.
How did Bill Belichick and Bobby Knight meet?
Bill Parcells was the common link between Bill Belichick and Bobby Knight. In 1966, Knight was the head coach of the United States Military Academy’s basketball team, while Parcells joined Tom Cahill’s crew as linebackers coach. Parcells and Knight became close friends at West Point, and that relationship stayed the same after their stints with Army.
Meanwhile, Belichick was Parcells’ long-time deputy. When Parcells became the New York Giants head coach in 1983, Belichick was a linebacker and special teams coach. Belichick eventually became defensive coordinator, a role Parcells once had, in 1985. Their football intelligence produced two Super Bowl titles.
While Parcells introduced Belichick and Knight to each other, they also share some military ties. As Knight once coached the Black Knights, Belichick’s father was an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy in Maryland. He credited his father for teaching him how to break down game film.
Bill Belichick and Bobby Knight also share complicated legacies. Knight threw a chair in a February 1985 game and allegedly placed his hands on a player’s neck in a 1997 training video. He also assaulted a Puerto Rican police officer in the 1979 Pan American Games.
Conversely, Belichick dealt with the Spygate and Deflategate controversies during his NFL tenure. As Knight passed away on November 1, 2023, sports enthusiasts will debate his legacy. But Bill Belichick will remember Knight as one of college basketball’s greatest winners and motivators.