Who was Bob Knight? Looking at legendary NCAA basketball figure's death at 83

Bob Knight, one of the most legendary coaches in the history of college basketball, died on Wednesday, his family announced. He was 83.

Knight is ranked as the sixth-winningest coach in Division I men's basketball history. Over a career spanning more than 40 seasons, he coached at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech.

He had a Hall of Fame career distinguished by his 29-year tenure at Indiana, where he won three national championships (1976, 1981 and 1987). He achieved a school-record 662 wins and led the team to the NCAA Tournament an impressive 24 times out of 29 seasons.

Bob Knight's first NCAA championship came in 1976 when Indiana accomplished the remarkable feat of an undefeated season, which remains the last one in college basketball.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family," the Knight Family said in a statement.

"We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend.

Instead of sending flowers, the Knight family suggested honoring him with a memorial contribution to either the Alzheimer's Association or Marian University.

Knight made history by becoming the youngest coach at a Division I school in 1965 when he took the helm at Army at the age of 24.

After spending six years (1965-1971) at Army, where he achieved a record of 102-50, Knight transitioned to Indiana. With the Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000, his teams amassed a record of 662-239.

In 1984, he guided the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in Los Angeles, marking the last time an American amateur team clinched Olympic gold.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport, Knight was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Knight resigned from his position as Texas Tech's basketball coach during the 2008-09 season, which marked his 42nd year as a head coach, leaving coaching for good. He then took on a role as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

Knight's coaching career was marred by allegations of various physical confrontations. One of the most prominent incidents was when Knight was accused of choking player Neil Reed during a practice in 1997.

Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski on Bob Knight’s impact

After Bob Knight's resignation at Texas Tech, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had high praise for his former coach. Krzyzewski played for Knight at Army.

"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight," Krzyzewski said in a statement.

"I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him."

Coach K and Bob Knight (US Military Academy photo)

The two eventually had a falling out.

Krzyzewski reportedly ended his 50-year association with his mentor after a strained encounter at a 2015 reunion, as detailed in Ian O'Connor's book "Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski."

The incident occurred at a West Point reunion at Pinehurst, North Carolina. Krzyzewski approached Knight in an effort to converse but was met with silence. This encounter was described by one of Krzyzewski's former teammates as a "disaster."

“Mike came in and said, ‘How are you doing, Coach?’ And (Knight) barely even hesitated and continued with his story, that kind of thing,” Oxley said. “That was the start of it. That was one of many straws that broke the camel’s back. I remember Mike walking out of there saying, ‘That’s it. I’ll never do this again.’”

Krzyzewski had a remarkable 42-season tenure at Duke. A Naismith Hall of Fame coach, he clinched five national championships and made a record 13 Final Four appearances. With 1,202 victories, Coach K holds the record for the most wins by any coach in Division I men's basketball history.