Bobby Knight: Great Coach or Great Longevitiy

The one thing Bob Knight did well, was stick around. His winning percentage is very good but not on par with some of the greats.  He amassed a record of 902-371 (.703) over 43 years in coaching. If he wasn't such a chair slinging, head butting, king of the sound bite, I don't think we would give him so much credit. 

Don't forget this gem from coach Knight:  "When my time on Earth is gone, and my activities here are past, I want they bury me upside down and my critics can kiss my ass." –March 1994.

In the argument for longevity opposed to greatness, the same could be said for Eddie Robinson at Grambling, Don Shula, and Lenny Wilkens. Great coaches absolutely, but perhaps the best thing they did was simply stick around long enough to amass an impressive win total. Does anyone consider Robinson, Shula or Wilkens as the best coaches of all time in their respective sports?

Of course not.

I believe the same rationale should be applied to Knight's coaching career. For direct comparison to Knight try these examples: John Wooden was 671-161 (.806) with 10 national titles in 29 years and Dean Smith 879-254 (.776) in only 36 years at UNC. If he would have coached another seven years to match Knight's tenure he would have at least a 1,000 wins. Don't forget Adolph Rupp who had four titles and is third all time in wins and second in win percentage (.882). 

I would realistically place Bob Knight fourth behind these three coaches in just college basketball.

Here is a quick look at the big picture in my opinion covering multiple sports:

1. John Wooden

2. Red Auerbach

3. Bill Walsh

4. Vince Lombardi

5. Dean Smith J

I'd write more but people keep bothering me with actual work. Gotta earn a paycheck right?