Congrats on more wins than any other coach in NCAA Div 1 Basketball. Thats quite an accomplishment.
There are a lot of things I could say thank you for. The great times watching IU Basketball. (even though I wasnt a fan when I got there. I thought any team with Kent Benson should go undefeated).
The first time I met you at IU at the Deans residence where they tried to butter me up with a fancy lunch and we both showed up in sweaters. (AT least I got to wear jeans :)
The time you spent talking to me down in Miami.
But thats not really what I appreciate most about you.
When I was at Indiana you were on 60 Minutes. In your interview you said one single thing that I took to heart. I reminded myself of it while it was in school at Indiana. I reminded myself of it when I failed. I reminded myself of it before any of the many businesses I have started I will continue to remind myself before any of my endeavors going forward. Its also the best advice I've been able to give people of any age who ask me for advice.
Its also the characteristic I look for when choosing a partner or hiring. I saw it in Avery Johnson. Ive seen it in Phil Garvin. It was obvious in Todd Wagner and Martin Woodall and many, many others that have put me in a position to succeed.
You said, and Im paraphrasing: "Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win"
Words for every athlete and those of us who partake in the Sport of Business to live by
Thanks Coach.
m,
Success and Motivation: What I learned from Bobby Knight
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Whatever you think of Knight, arguably the most polarizing figure in sports history, the words ring true. I'm amazed at how many people in my business try to "wing it" everyday. I'm equally amazed at how offended and upset they get when they get caught.
Frank D.
Posted at 5:51PM on Jan 4th 2007 by Frank D
3. "Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win"
The 5 P's...Proper Preparedness Prevents Poor Performance
I too went to IU...with the great hope for a National Champ...think Cheany, Henderson, Meeks... I personally knew a few of them and one thing they would always mention about coach was how much he would have them prepared! If it just wasn't for Duke....
Thanks Mark for helping me to remember my 5 P's!
keep bloging
j
Posted at 6:47PM on Jan 4th 2007 by J Sandifer
4. Nice post Mark! It also made me think of my past businesses and even all the way back to school.
It's so true... all of us want to be the best in business, the best athlete, the best friend or parent, but it's the ones who put in the work and prepare that will really make it. We all have an opportunity to be our best at something, sports, business etc..., but whatever it is... make your dream come true by working hard and preparing.
I was never a huge fan of coach Knight and remember saying I'd hate to play for him, but now that I'm 31 and have watched him over the years I have to admit that even though he loses his temper and even though he's definitely crossed the line the one thing that stands out most is his pure desire to do anything to make sure his players succeed. Be it in basketball or in life.
Congrats Coach Knight!
Bryan
Posted at 6:47PM on Jan 4th 2007 by Sports Blog
5. Go Purdue!
Posted at 8:05PM on Jan 4th 2007 by Joe
6. Good you got something positive from ths dude man.
I just can't respect any person who said( in 1988 interview with Connie Chung)
"I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it...
Only an immoral idoit would say such a thing.
btw Dean Smith is still the G.O.A.T of all college coaches.
Posted at 8:43PM on Jan 4th 2007 by clt_Bobcats Watcher
7. Oh.......I loved reading that.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Posted at 8:56PM on Jan 4th 2007 by Toni Marano
8. As great a post as it is, Frank D's comment makes this blog entry all the better:
"I'm amazed at how many people in my business try to "wing it" everyday. I'm equally amazed at how offended and upset they get when they get caught."
What an ace observation!
Posted at 9:31PM on Jan 4th 2007 by P. Robitionate
10. Great quote and great blog entry. It's true. In business and sports, people want to take the easy way out.
Posted at 11:11PM on Jan 4th 2007 by basketball
11. So true!
12 in a row; it sure feels good. Good luck on the road.
Posted at 11:16PM on Jan 4th 2007 by Roxana
12. He's a legend. But I bet Coach K will end up with more wins after all is said and done.
Posted at 1:12AM on Jan 5th 2007 by basketball drills
13. One thing I've noticed is that it's hard to explain Bobby Knight to someone that didn't go to Indiana or live in Indiana while he was coach. My first year at IU was two years after he was fired, and yet the conversations and arguments that people would get in to over the General were still going on and still as heated as they were when he was there. I remember my high school newspaper covering the Knight firing like it was national news. My father worked for a company in Lafayette and told me about how when the news came threw, a lot of the IU grads spent the rest of the day huddled around a TV watching ESPN, while the Purdue grads kept on working. Moreover, every Indiana fan has to wonder what might have been if Bobby Knight were still wearing the cream and crimson. Would Jason Gardner have joined Jared Jeffries on title run team? Would Sean May have been wearing his father's cream and crimson instead of powder puff blue? Would Greg Oden be teamed with Josh McRoberts in a dominant Hoosiers team, poised for another title? These are the kinds of things that Indiana fans grapple with every time we watch a Texas Tech game. And we do watch Texas Tech games.
More importantly though, Knight did what no other institution has ever done, and that is win without cheating. He may have never had all the blue chippers that he rightly deserved, but he got every ounce of talent out of the players he had. I've never heard a former Indiana player say that they were worse for having played under Coach Knight. He graduated more players than almost any other program. He never cheated. He never took the easy way out. And he still won in an era where 19 year old kids are killing themselves on the court for a chance at the NBA and millions of dollars, and where those same kids are surrounded by everybody with their hands out, from scouts to agents to show companies to big corporations.
The exact quote was "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win." And, both in business, basketball, and life, truer words have rarely been spoken.
Posted at 2:43AM on Jan 5th 2007 by Adam Licht
14. Not to detract from Coach Knight's impressive accomplishment, but let's get the facts right. He does not hold the record for most wins in NCAA Division I basketball, he holds the record for most wins in MEN'S NCAA Division I basketball.
He has quite a way to go before he can catch Pat Summitt, who has 926 wins and still counting. Even more impressive is Summitt's winning percentage of .839 -- among the 10 winningest men's coaches only Adolph Rupp comes close with .822 and Knight is well behind at .713! To hold the overall Division I record, Knight would have to coach several seasons longer than Summitt, which seems unlikely given that she is 12 years younger.
15. Sure, he doesn't have the win percentage that those others do. And yes, Coach K might eventually pass him up, many years down the road. However, what is Coach K's grad rate of his players? I think it speaks volume for Coach Knight that he has amassed the number of wins that he has and still managed to get his players a college degree. I, for one, think it is more important that his players graduate with a degree that will help later in life, rather than post a higher winning percentage in order to make his stats look better. Bravo Coach for actually following through on your promise to recruits parents that their sons will actually get an education.
Posted at 8:05AM on Jan 5th 2007 by John S.
16. Well put, Mark. I kept waiting for the punchline, but your point is easily the best thing I've read here.
Posted at 8:14AM on Jan 5th 2007 by solomonrex
19. Adam L was right.. I appreciate the Generals work just being around it and going to school in Indiana (NOT IU). Kinda makes ya wonder...
But none the less.. Congrats Coach!
PS: Love the Hoosiers coming out on the blog!
Posted at 9:56AM on Jan 5th 2007 by Brewer
20. I work with artist and that one phrase "Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win"
separates all of them. Everyone wants to be part of the Diddy and Hilton crowd but no one cares about the work. I think that is the burden that has been placed on everyone in this time. Because everything in life has been made so simple work ethic has paid the biggent cost. I have always felt that what makes a great artist (or businessperson for that matter) is someone who can make a priceless item in less than perfect conditions. But regardless of where you are and what you have to work with you have to be willing to bear down and work. I dont know when that interview took place but like all true things it still holds its weight...
Posted at 10:17AM on Jan 5th 2007 by Brad Andrews
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1. Good stuff Cuban, thanks for sharing. Actually made me reflect over my overall character.
Posted at 5:28PM on Jan 4th 2007 by robert