Return of the Hoosier: Bob Knight back at Indiana after 20 years

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — He left in disgrace nearly two decades ago. On Saturday, Bob Knight cherished the short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall, his first visit to the basketball arena he ruled for 29 seasons before he was fired in 2000.

Surrounded by dozens of former players and thousands of Indiana fans chanting “Bob-by, Bob-by,” Knight finally returned to his home court Saturday to a rousing welcome.

“We love you, Bobby,” one fan shouted from the crowd.

Hoosiers fans spent years waiting and hoping they could give the once combustible coach the proper reward for everything he did in Bloomington — three NCAA championships, a school-record 662 victories, 11 Big Ten titles and five Final Four appearances.

Knight, 79, hadn’t been back to Assembly Hall since he was fired Sept. 10, 2000, after a student accused Knight of grabbing him in the hallway of Assembly Hall. The university had initiated a zero-tolerance policy for Knight earlier that year following an investigation after he choked a former player, the late Neil Reed.

The firing created a bitter split between Knight and the university. He declined opportunity after opportunity to reunite when his championship teams were honored. He even declined to come back for his induction into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, saying he didn’t want to detract from the other class members.

And then, suddenly, it was all over.

With the Hoosiers playing their biggest rival, Purdue, with longtime friend and rival Gene Keady in the arena and Knight’s 1980 Big Ten championship team being honored, the former Indiana coach put aside his grudge and walked to midcourt with his son, Pat, and former players Quinn Buckner and Scott May.

“Thank you coach, thank you coach,” the fans chanted as...