A stretch of the State Road 45/46 Bypass near Assembly Hall now carries Bob Knight’s name. You can fly it on our 3D map.
Top photo: President Gerald Ford meets Indiana’s 1976 NCAA champions, including coach Bob Knight, at the White House on April 20, 1976. White House, via the National Archives (public domain).
On Friday, Oct. 23, family, former players and state officials unveiled the sign for Bob Knight Memorial Way, the section of State Road 45/46 between College Avenue and Fee Lane. It passes Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Indiana General Assembly asked the Indiana Department of Transportation to make the change in House Concurrent Resolution 4, passed in February (WFIU). About 100 people came to the ceremony, including Knight’s wife Karen and son Pat, former players such as Quinn Buckner, athletic director Scott Dolson and current coach Darian DeVries (WFIU).
Why this road
Knight coached Indiana from 1971 to 2000. His teams won three national championships, including the undefeated 1976 team, and 11 Big Ten titles, and he coached the U.S. to Olympic gold in 1984. He died on Nov. 1, 2023, at 83 (WISH-TV).
Pat Knight said the location fits. “Anybody that’s lived in Bloomington, or if you’re an athlete or coach, when you got to 45/46, you knew you were home,” he said.
See it on the map
The new road is on the Bloomington 3D map as its own place, and you can take a low ride along it from College Avenue to Fee Lane. The Assembly Hall card now points to it too.
A statue is also planned
In February, IU announced a bronze statue of Knight for the south lobby of Assembly Hall, next to the 1976 championship statues. We have not seen an unveiling date (IU Athletics).