updated 8:06 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2007

LUBBOCK, Texas - Bob Knight won 880 games doing things his way. And he sure celebrated it his way.

Long appreciated for his strategy and long questioned for his methods, Knight added the crowning achievement to his Hall of Fame career by becoming the leader in Division I men’s basketball victories when Texas Tech beat New Mexico 70-68 on Monday.

Having finally reached the pinnacle he’s long insisted didn’t matter, Knight proved otherwise by soaking in every moment of the party that followed — especially the soundtrack.

“I’ve always thought that if there’s ever an occasion for a song to be played on my behalf, I wanted it to be Frank Sinatra singing ‘My Way,”’ said Knight, whose usually glaring facade showed hints of cracking during the outpouring of emotions.

“I don’t expect you people to have agreed with what I’ve done — and, if I did (care), I would have asked your opinion. And I have never asked the opinions of very many. I’ve simply tried to do what I think is best in the way that I think you have to do it. I think I’ve put myself out on a limb at times, knowingly, simply because I thought what I was going to do or say was the best way to get this kid to be the best player or the best student.”

Knight has been a college coach for 41 of his 66 years, having broken in at Army and made his mark by winning three national titles in 29 years at Indiana. Fired by Indiana after administrators could no longer tolerate his behavior, he resurfaced at this college basketball outpost in 2001 and has guided the Red Raiders to unprecedented heights.

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He’s a complex package, someone who can hit a policeman, throw a chair across the court or be accused of wrapping his hands around a player’s neck, yet never gets in trouble for breaking NCAA rules, always has high a graduation rate and gave his salary back a few years ago because he didn’t think he’d earned it.

All facets of Knight’s personality were on display during a half-hour postgame ceremony and the nearly 20-minute soliloquy he gave instead of a news conference.

He lovingly singled out a player whose hustle helped pull out this victory, which wasn’t easy; Tech blew a 20-point lead and trailed by four points with 6:25 remaining. The Red Raiders (11-4) finally went back ahead with 2:04 left and managed to hold on.

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The first person to congratulate him was his son and successor-to-be, Pat. He later held his two grandsons from his other son, Tim. He introduced his wife and repeatedly thanked her, although he later broke a promise to her by cussing.

“The first 15 minutes of the game was Karen’s game plan,” he said of his wife, a former high school coach. “The rest of it was mine, unfortunately.”

He praised Tech’s current chancellor by noting “what an improvement you are” over the predecessor Knight had sparred with at a salad bar. He called his current athletic director one of the best friends he’s ever had.

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“I’ve had the chance to work with some really great athletic directors and some really bad ones,” he said. “I appreciate what I learned from the bad ones.”

He introduced as “our prized student” the player he suspended for academic reasons at the start of the season. He jokingly tapped the chin of the player whose chin he had jerked earlier this season and told all his players, “If you guys still love me after everything I say to you and everything I put you through, that’s a hell of a compliment to me.”

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