THE legendary NCAA basketball coach Bob Knight dies Wednesday also provided a reason to discuss the dark side of his tenureincluding a hunting accident on Wisconsin soil in 1999.
But long before that, Knight turned down a chance to become the face of Wisconsin basketball in a “what if” moment that altered the landscape of college basketball. Because in 1968, Knight was offered the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coaching job and accepted it, but two days later he changed his mind.
In April 1968, the 27-year-old Knight was chosen to succeed John Erickson and was offered a three-year contract, with the approval of the University Athletic Board, the Board of Regents and Chancellor William Sewell.
There was a problem. Knight didn’t want news of his hiring to get out until he could alert his bosses at West Point that the Army coach would be traveling to Madison. But it is.
Even writing about Knight’s hiring, Glenn Miller noted in the Wisconsin State Journal that Wisconsin officials had agreed to withhold the announcement to give him time, but a leak in the university administration put the news in the ether.
Two days later, Knight declined the message, citing anger over the premature release of the information. Instead, he took over with West Point and coached there for three more years. The UW Board of Trustees unanimously approved John Powless, 35, an Erickson assistant who was among seven candidates for the job, in Knight’s place.
“It was a really unfortunate thing,” Knight told the Wisconsin State Journal.
Professor Frank Remington, president of the athletic council, told the Milwaukee Sentinel: “It is unfortunate that the news was leaked prematurely and we were unhappy about it. Yet we all know such things happen. That’s why we told Mr. Knight: when he asked that the announcement be delayed until he returned to West Point, that we would do our best but could not guarantee that his wish would be granted.
“We had a commitment from him. It would have been better if he had just said he changed his mind, without giving any explanations.”
Knight insisted the change of heart had nothing to do with money.
Hiring a 27-year-old might be mind-blowing today, and it was a talking point back then, too, but it wasn’t unprecedented in Wisconsin. WE “Doc” Meanwell was 27 when he became UW’s coach in 1911, and Bud Foster was 29 in 1934 when he became Meanwell’s successor. The two coached for 39 years at Wisconsin, including Foster’s 1941 national championship. Erickson succeeded Foster at age 32.
Erickson left to become general manager of the expansion Milwaukee Bucks. Powless, who was left in limbo with the news of Knight’s hiring, went on to coach for eight years with the Badgers, leading Wisconsin to two winning seasons. He was replaced by Bill Cofield in 1976.
Knight was then hired at Indiana for the 1971-72 season.
Hunting accident in northwest Wisconsin lands Knight in hot water
Just before the start of his final season at Indiana in 1999, Knight accidentally shot a friend while grouse hunting without a license in Spooner, then failed to report it.
He was determined Knight did not have a $43 non-resident small game fishing license and he had also hunted without one the year before. Knight told authorities he did not know he needed a permit to access private property.
Spooner is located in northwest Wisconsin. Knight ended up paying $582.50 in fines for three violations, but it was later sued by his injured hunting companionThomas Mikunda, who claimed Knight coerced him into supporting his version of the accident, which involved Knight’s finger slipping on the trigger while aiming at a grouse. The case was settled later that year.
Mikunda stood 20 meters away and was hit by 16 shotgun bullets, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.
This was a prequel to another hunting incident in 2007, when Knight fired shotgun pellets in Texas that hit two residents in their yard two days in a row.
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