[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 157--HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIRING ROBERT 
 MONTGOMERY ``BOBBY'' KNIGHT AS THE HEAD COACH OF THE MEN'S BASKETBALL 
                       TEAM AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY

  Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. Young) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 157

       Whereas Coach Bobby Knight had a legendary career as a 
     college basketball head coach for more than 40 years, 29 of 
     which were with Indiana University, starting on March 27, 
     1971;
       Whereas the success of Coach Knight has led to his 
     induction into the National Collegiate Athletic Association 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``NCAA'') Hall of Fame 
     and the Indiana University Hoosier Basketball Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Coach Knight--
       (1) earned an NCAA National Championship as a player at The 
     Ohio State University in 1960;
       (2) won 3 NCAA National Championships as the Head Coach of 
     the men's basketball team at Indiana University in 1976, 
     1981, and 1987; and
       (3) won a National Invitational Tournament championship as 
     the Head Coach of the men's basketball team at Indiana 
     University in 1979;
       Whereas, during his 29 years at Indiana University, Coach 
     Knight--
       (1) coached 11 Big Ten Conference Championship teams;
       (2) took 24 teams to the NCAA tournament; and
       (3) earned 8 Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and 4 
     national coach of the year awards;
       Whereas the 1975-76 men's basketball team at Indiana 
     University, which was coached by Coach Knight, is the last 
     team to complete the entire regular season and NCAA 
     tournament without a single loss;
       Whereas Coach Knight coached the United States men's 
     national basketball team to a gold medal in the 1979 Pan 
     American Games and to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games;
       Whereas Coach Knight had an 80 percent graduation rate for 
     his players, with an astounding 98 percent graduation rate 
     for all players who he coached for at least 4 years, more 
     than twice the average graduation rates for other Division I 
     schools;
       Whereas, even after 40 years as a head coach, none of the 
     teams coached by Coach Knight were ever cited for a 
     recruiting or academic violation while competing at the 
     highest levels of the sport;
       Whereas Coach Knight attained 902 wins during his overall 
     head coaching career at the United States Military Academy, 
     Indiana University, and Texas Tech University, by 
     perfecting--
       (1) the motion offense, which emphasized discipline, 
     teamwork, selflessness, and perimeter passing to control the 
     game and increase the percentage of successful shots; and
       (2) smothering man-to-man defense;
       Whereas Coach Knight had a reputation as a passionate 
     player and coach, a man who never accepted defeat, who pushed 
     himself and his teams to achieve, and created a persona in 
     line with the great Vince Lombardi and Woody Hayes;
       Whereas Coach Knight never focused his coaching on winning 
     a game, but on the effort it took to become a champion, 
     saying ``The will to succeed is important, but what's more 
     important is the will to prepare''; and
       Whereas Coach Knight earned the NCAA Naismith Award for 
     Men's Outstanding Contribution to Basketball in 2007: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) Coach Robert Montgomery ``Bobby'' Knight set the 
     standard for excellence as a collegiate men's basketball 
     coach at Indiana University;
       (2) the success of Coach Knight was in turn the success of 
     the entire Indiana University system and a source of 
     continuing pride for the entire State of Indiana;
       (3) we honor the drive, determination, and character of 
     Coach Knight and all that Coach Knight did in educating and 
     mentoring hundreds of Indiana University players over 3 
     decades;
       (4) few can ever achieve greatness, but Coach Knight has 
     propelled young men to touch greatness for at least a moment, 
     giving them experiences and lessons that have shaped their 
     entire lives; and
       (5) for all the memories, Coach Knight, we give you a 
     heartfelt thank you.

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