Mike Braun: “I rise to honor the 50th anniversary of the signing of Coach Robert Montgomery Knight at Indiana University, who set the…”

“I rise to honor the 50th anniversary of the signing of Coach Robert Montgomery Knight at Indiana University, who set the standard for excellence as a collegiate men's basketball coach. Coach Knight had a legendary career as a college head coach for more than 40 years, 29 of which were at Indiana University. During those 29 years, Coach Knight had 11 Big Ten Conference championship teams, took 24 teams to the NCAA tournament, and earned 8 Big Ten Coach of the Year Awards. His 1975-1976 team at IU remains the last team to complete an undefeated season and win every game in the NCAA tournament. They got close this year. Maureen, my wife, attended IU, and I can remember what a thrill it was to watch his teams play. Their drive and will to succeed were infectious. Coach Knight's success at IU continues to be a source of pride for the entire State of Indiana. Coach Knight never focused his coaching on winning a game but on the effort it takes to become a champion, saying that the will to succeed is important, but the will to prepare is even more important. Due to his focus on his players' success on and off the court--this is amazing--Coach Knight had an astounding 98-percent graduation rate for all players whom he coached for at least 4 years--more than twice the average graduation rate for Division 1 schools. On the world stage, Coach Knight led the U.S.…”