Knight became the youngest coach at a Division I school in 1965 when he broke in at Army at 24. But he made his mark in 29 years at Indiana, including the perfect season in 1976.

He’s a complex package. He hit a policeman in Puerto Rico, threw a chair across the court, was accused of wrapping his hands around a player’s neck and allegedly kicked his own son (Knight claimed he actually kicked the chair his son sat on).

But he never broke NCAA rules. He always had a high graduation rate and gave his salary back a few years after he arrived in Lubbock because he didn’t think he’d earned it.

NCAA president Myles Brand, the former Indiana University president who fired Knight, declined to comment on the resignation, spokesman Erik Christianson said.

Knight arrived at Texas Tech in March 2001, six months after being fired by Indiana for what school officials there called a “pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

The most recent off-court action by Knight to draw headlines came last November, when two people accused the coach or his hunting buddy of hitting them with bird shot. Neither person was injured or required medical treatment, and no criminal charges were filed against Knight.

In Knight’s six full years at Tech, he led the Red Raiders to five 20-win seasons, a first at the school. Knight passed former North Carolina coach Dean Smith as the winningest Division I men’s coach Jan. 1, 2007, getting career win No. 880. To celebrate the milestone Knight chose the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, a mantra for how he navigated his personal and professional worlds.

Back then, Knight explained why “My Way” was so fitting.

“I’ve simply tried to do what I think is best,” Knight said. “Regrets? Sure. Just like the song. I have regrets. I wish I could have done things better at times. I wish I would have had a better answer, a better way, at times. But just like he said, I did it my way and when I look back on it, I don’t think my way was all that bad.”

What he did and how he did it made Knight legend. However, the influence and discipline he brought to coaching made him special.

“Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who played for Knight at Army. “I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him.”

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Knight got his 100th victory at Army, then moved to Indiana, where his Hoosiers went 662-239 from 1971-00. He won national titles there in 1976, ’81 and ’87.

“I am very fortunate and blessed to have played for him. He made me a better man and for that I am grateful,” former Indiana star and current New Mexico coach Steve Alford said.

Knight’s first NCAA title came in 1976 when Indiana went undefeated, a feat no team has accomplished since. In 1984, he coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in Los Angeles. Knight won 20 or more games in 29 seasons.

“Today was the most relaxed and relieved I’ve seen him in a long time,” Pat Knight said during his show. “He thought about doing it a year ago but he didn’t want people to think he was just staying for the record. So he kind of pushed himself to go one more year.”

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