Page 39 - Summer 2019 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine - Online Magazine
P. 39
ack in the “She was a baseball coaching, I always went to him for
1940’s, the fanatic.” Orrville advice.”
Blittle town of was an hour from
Orrville, Ohio was Cleveland, and Coaching basketball seemed like
growing because “Mom got us tickets the obvious career path for Bobby
of the railroad, the to see the Cleveland Knight after he graduated from
Smucker’s plant Indians.” college. “I always studied people
and a handful of in sports - Why they were good?
other businesses. A At the age of 6, - What made their teams better?”
resourceful, self- Bobby signed up He wanted to know how long
educated farm boy to play baseball they practiced and how hard.
from Oklahoma, Pat with the Mizer He believes his successful career
Knight had taught Tykes. Local is due to the people who taught
himself telegraphy, businessman Frank him. Often, he had other winning
as well as most Mizer loved the coaches come and speak to his
other things, and sport, too, and led teams. “Woody Hayes, the famous
had found a good his team to several Ohio State football coach is a great
job with the railroad. He and his championships. The rise of the man. I learned from him. When he
wife, Hazel, a school teacher and Cleveland Browns in the All came to IU, I would have him come
one of only a few college-educated American Football Conference, into the locker room to speak to our
women at the time, put down roots. and later the NFL, grabbed young players. But before he left, he would
Her mother, Sarah Henthorne, lived Bobby’s attention. “Ironically, the close the door, and say, ‘Boys, I
with them. These three people top last sport I became acquainted with really like the way you play. But I
the short list of the most influential was basketball. I was tall. By the hope we beat your a__ tonight.’”
people in the life of Coach Bobby time I went to high
Knight. Speaking about his parents school, I was pretty
and his grandmother, he said, “I good, but I was
was very, very fortunate with the always looking to
people I was close to.” get better.”
Bobby Knight respected his dad’s “Our next-door
successful railroad career, even neighbor, ‘Doc’
though he hadn’t had much formal Boop steered me
education. His mother was “very to Ohio State. John
intelligent, and a really, really good Havlicek and Gary
teacher.” He knows that because Gerhart were in my
she was his 2nd grade teacher. freshman class, and
His grandmother had her own we became good
car, another rarity for a woman in friends. Fred Taylor
rural America just after WWII. “I was the coach, but
went everywhere with her.” Bobby his assistant Frank
Knight didn’t have any siblings. Truitt was the best
Although he would have liked coach I ever saw. He
some, he quipped, “They must have had a great grasp
been satisfied that I was enough.” with the kids - how
to work with them.
It was actually Bobby’s mother He was my mentor.
who got him interested in sports. After I started
Lubbock Senior Link 39
