Bobby Knight, men’s basketball coach at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, has canceled his participation in a May 1 Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library book and author luncheon cosponsored by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The coach informed the newspaper that he was upset over an April 12 front-page article questioning his son Tim’s business practices.
The news story, confirmed by the university’s vice president for fiscal affairs, stated that records revealed that Texas Tech Assistant Athletic Director Tim Knight had shipped school merchandise to an Indianapolis store operated by his mother without the university receiving payment.
“We’re so sorry Coach Knight isn’t choosing to help our public library because he’s mad at the newspaper,” event chair Judy Tobey told the April 21 Star-Telegram.
The former longtime Indiana University basketball coach was scheduled to be one of six featured authors at the library benefit. Organizers said they were expecting to sell about 600 luncheon tickets, including 200 based solely on Knight’s appearance.
“I am sorry that Coach Knight, in trying to retaliate against the Star-Telegram, is hurting the library,” newspaper Books Editor Jeff Guinn said. “But we’re not canceling the program.”
Posted April 29, 2002.