Alex Brandon / AP file

At age 80, Bob Knight won't throw a chair — he'll hurl a walker, which is far less threatening, writes MSNBC.com's Michael Ventre.

Bobby Bowden: This one is tricky. On the one hand, Bowden, 77, is energetic and passionate enough about football to coach until he’s 90 or 100. But the Florida State alumni may have a problem with ages, because it’s been ages since the Seminoles were good. Bowden’s son resigned as offensive coordinator, and Bobby is beloved. But it’s a little like Grandpa insisting that he place the star atop the Christmas tree because it’s a family tradition; at some point you have to keep him off the ladder for the safety of others. Bowden has it in him to coach at 80, if he doesn’t get tomahawk-chopped by his university president before then.

Bobby Cox: He has won a lot of division titles, but only one World Series. By the time he’s 80, the Atlanta Braves’ skipper will have won a lot more division titles, but still only one World Series. And he’ll keep his job, because by that time fans and media will marvel at how someone his age can keep winning division titles. If he’s 80 and the Braves have slipped badly, however, he’ll be quietly ushered out of the dugout, then given an award to thank him for his years of service to baseball: an honorary division title.

Pat Riley: First off, he’ll be the best-dressed 80-year-old who ever lived. By the time he’s 80, though, he will have made the trip from the Miami Heat’s front office to the coach’s job and back again several more times. Just pity the fool who takes the coaching job with the Heat with an 80-year-old Pat Riley hovering in the background waiting to step in at the first sign of trouble. Fortunately for either Riley or whichever person coaches the Heat, Alonzo Mourning will still be playing.

Pete Carroll: He’ll still be at USC when he’s 80, and he’ll still be rumored as a candidate for NFL jobs. And the age of 80 might be the right time for him to finally leave the Trojans and take another NFL job. Going into a recruit’s living room and trying to convince the kid's parents that Carroll will still be alive in four years will prove too daunting a task. Carroll is great enough at coaching that even if he develops serious health problems, can’t hear, needs thick glasses to see and has to be under the constant supervision of a doctor, he can still finish 8-8 with an NFL team, which is good enough to contend for a wild card.

Isiah Thomas: Yes, he’ll still be coaching at the age of 80, because there will still be people stupid enough to hire him. In fact, he’ll be coaching well after 80, because first somebody will hire him at 80 as a team president. After he puts together another dysfunctional roster, he’ll coach it. Alas, dementia will set in, he’ll confuse events in his memory, and he’ll order one of his players to intentionally foul the woman who is accusing him of sexual harassment. Then he’ll get a contract extension. He’ll still have the mischievous smile, as long as he remembers to put his teeth in.

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