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Post by Commissioner on May 28, 2023 19:59:00 GMT -5
I had no idea... from the Varsity News, April 11, 1969, on the search to replace Bob Calihan as head coach (click on the image and then see the far right column) I want to say, "Imagine if the Titans had hired Bobby Knight," but I find I can't get my head around it.
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Post by ptctitan on May 29, 2023 6:09:36 GMT -5
We ended up hiring Don Haskins from UTEP who promptly quit 2 days later after Detroit media reporters gave him a hard time. Bob Knight or Glory Road.
And then we ended up with the Marine DI Jim Harding who at times made Knight look like a choir boy.
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Post by nctitan on May 29, 2023 9:02:51 GMT -5
Knight withdrew his name. I can't believe any up-and-coming coach would forego the opportunity to coach one of the greatest basketball talents in college ball.
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Post by larrytitan on May 30, 2023 7:07:37 GMT -5
Spencer may have left even sooner with Knight at the helm.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 1, 2023 8:23:59 GMT -5
This is also another sad reminder of the decline of the program. Our applicants for the job in 1969 included a head coach who had won the national title three years before (Haskins, who was, as noted by PCT, briefly hired), and the young head coach at Army (Knight), already identified as an up and comer. Another guy who expressed interest that year was 32 year-old, Miami (Oh) head coach Tates Locke, coming off an NCAA appearance with a first round win over #17 Notre Dame. Locke actually interviewed on campus. You know who were actually mentioned as candidates--though I don't believe any applied or even seriously considered it, but it illustrates what the rumor mill thought of the job quality? Lakers star Elgin Baylor, Tennessee head coach Ray Mears (who of course had recruited Haywood successfully to Tennessee, only to have that fall through, and whose 1967 team finished ranked #8 nationally), and Al McGuire. I doubt we would ever have had a chance at any of them, but of course today no one would even mention a similar name in connection with the Titan coaching job. Mike Davis, 15 years out from his final 4 with Indiana and coaching Texas Southern, is not an exception.
Still, maybe the it was a weak foundation visible on close inspection--Locke, like Knight, withdrew his name, citing family problems, and of course Haskins quit days after accepting. Still, it's a reminder of the company we once kept, and hopefully will be able to again.
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