Bobby's best
                  Some of Knight's most interesting comments

            May 15, 2000 1:22 p.m. ET

            FOXSports.com 

            Whether you love him or hate him, you have to stop and do a 
            double take when Bobby Knight speaks.

The General

            "My wife was telling me about the failure of positive 
             reinforcement in American education, that everything 
             Johnny does is OK. You know ... Johnny, I know you�ve 
             missed seven shots in a row, but don�t let that bother 
             you � when you see the eighth one, just shoot it. I�d 
             like to say, John, you know you�ve missed two shots now, 
             bad shots. You take another one, I�m going to strangle you."
          � 1996 ESPN Up Close Primetime
                  "Recruit jackasses, they play like jackasses."
          � Sports Illustrated
                  "Take a look at me. I'm 53 years old, out of shape, 
                   bad back. Who the hell am I going to scare?"
          � Responding to a question about whether his players feared 
            him prior to a 1994 NCAA Tournament game.
                  "No, we don�t allow them to shoot. We spend almost no 
                   time working on shooting. We practice our entrance 
                   and exit into the locker room."
          � At a press conference after a poor shooting game when asked 
            if shooting would be a focus for the next practice.

Media
                  "All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of 
                   us go on to greater things."
                  "They ought to take all you television people and build 
                   a [expletive] island for you, and put these writers in 
                   a cave under the island.
          � 1994, on ESPN's Sunday Conversation

The barracks
                  "How would you like to be the guy coming to take 
                   out my daughter?"
          � 1997, ESPN Up Close Primetime
                  "I, fortunately, have never worried about irritating people."
          � Indianapolis Monthly, December 1982

Dark Knight
                  "If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."
                  � 1988 interview with Connie Chung

                  "A B.S. is just what it stands for, an M.S. is More of 
                   the Same, and a Ph.D. is Piled Higher and Deeper."
                  � From the book, A Season on the Brink

                  "There are times when my passion for basketball led me 
                   into confrontations that I could have handled a lot 
                   better. I've always been too confrontational, especially
                   when I know I'm right. I know as well as anybody does: 
                   I have to develop a more diplomatic approach. I'm not very  
                   good at just forgetting something and going on, and I'm   
                   truly sorry about that."
                  � Knight�s apology statement
                  "The most susceptible guy in any gambling scheme is an        
                   official, without any question. I mean, if we only knew 
                   the truth about games that were controlled by officials  
                   having gambling interests, I think it would be amazing."
                  � 1998 ESPN Interview

His career
                  "And if I heard some of my old players blistering my ass 
                   for the way I run things, I�d have to reassess. But despite
                   all the crap you read, the only ones who�ve ever complained
                   are the kids who didn�t play, got frustrated and quit."
                  � Sports Illustrated

                  "I do dumb things sometimes."
                  � Saturday Evening Post, March 1981

                  "As Abraham Lincoln once said, when it comes time for me 
                   to give up on the reins of this administration, if I have
                   but one friend left, and that friend resides deep within 
                   me, then I�ll be satisfied."
                  � ESPN Up Close Primetime, 1997

                  "I�ve always said, all along, that if I ever get to a point
                   where I can�t control myself, I�ll quit."

Bob Knight fired as IU coach.....I cannot agree.
"But the great things he's done and the wonderful things he's accomplished far outweigh the bad." -Tom Izzo

"It's not like he's had a history of just doing horrible things," said Krzyzewski. "Coach Knight's had a history of doing some great things. Has he been controversial? Absolutely. But he's also been a darn good coach and a great representative."

"As a former student-athlete at Indiana University, and former player for coach Knight, it saddens me to see one of the greatest eras of college basketball end this way," Alford said. "Since I was in third grade, attending coach Knight's basketball camps, I have always seen Indiana University and coach Knight as one in the same. I'm very appreciative of all the influences that coach Knight has had on my life as well as my basketball career."

"Yeah, there were some hard practices and tough times," Alford said. "But if we didn't have those tough times, we wouldn't have won a national championship in '87. We had to understand the commitment it took to win a national championship."

"He's a tremendous coach. He's been awesome for the game. He's changed the way a lot of coaches have taught the game, in motion offense and man-to-man defense."

"Everybody's got different styles. If every coach had the same style, it would be boring for the coaches and players and fans."