Steve Knight became the head men’s basketball coach at William Carey College way back in July of 1982 at the age of 25.
That same month, Jimmy Connors beat John McEnroe for the Wimbledon championship. Tom Watson, now 76, won golf’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, Scotland. William Winter was Mississippi’s governor. Ronald Reagan was president. Pete Rose led the National League in hitting. From Rocky III, Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” was No. 1 on the record charts.
Yes, it has been a while. Mississippi has had seven governors since, but William Carey, now a university, has had the same basketball coach until Thursday, when it was announced that Knight, by far the winningest college basketball coach in Mississippi history, was retiring.
Rick ClevelandIn sports, these days, it is rare to see anyone stay in the same coaching job for 10 years, much less 44. Put it this way: Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss have each had six men’s basketball coaches during those 44 years. At the small college level, Belhaven has had 11.
For the past 16 years, with each victory, Knight has broken his own record as Mississippi’s winningest college basketball coach. On Nov. 10, 2010, Knight claimed that honor by surpassing Alcorn State legend Davey Whitney for his 506th career victory.
And it’s not as if Knight has fallen off his game late in his career. His Carey Crusaders this season finished 28-5, tying the school record for victories. They won the Southern States Conference championship with a 15-3 record and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.
Steve Knight, men’s basketball coach at William Carey University. Credit: Courtesy of William Carey AthleticsSo why quit now?
“I think the fact that we had such a great year was a part of it,” Knight said. “I wanted to go out on a winning note, but it was more than that. I had hip surgery in December and missed some games and a lot of practices. Coaching can be a real grind, plus I’ve got grandkids that are playing high school ball now and I want to watch them play. Also, my wife and I want to do some traveling and we want to do it while we’re healthy enough to enjoy it. It just seems like the right time.
“I just want everyone to know that I have really loved working at William Carey in my hometown with so many great people. It never really felt like a job.”
This writer’s relationship with Knight goes back to his high school days when when “Bone” – as he was nicknamed – was a star baseball pitcher and shooting guard for the Hattiesburg High Tigers. Bone, you ask? “I was 6-foot-2 and weighed 140 pounds, maybe. I was all skin and bones. Somebody shortened that to Bone and it stuck.”
Knight was a key player on a Hattiesburg basketball team, led by the great Purvis Short, that won a state championship in 1974. He later was a fine pitcher for Southern Miss, where his catcher was Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Corky Palmer. Knight pitched two years in the Seattle Mariners organization before returning to Hattiesburg and taking the job at Carey.
Knight also served a season as William Carey’s baseball coach early in his career and then for 30 years (1987-2016) as the school’s athletic director. Carey’s athletic department grew exponentially during his leadership, more than tripling the number of sports offered from five to 17.
“The basketball program and the university owe a lot to Coach Knight,” said Tracy English, the current Carey athletic director. “For 44 years he produced championship teams and sent young men back to their communities to be productive citizens. He coached hundreds of players that went on to become coaches, bankers, doctors, businessmen, preachers, you name it.”
Knight coached 22 Carey teams to 20 victories or more 22 times, won 19 conference championships and made 15 NAIA National Tournament appearances. He was named his league’s coach of the year 15 times, including this past season. Knight also has been inducted into the Southern Miss M Club Hall of Fame, the William Carey Hall of Fame and the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame.
As Knight put it, “What a ride it has been!”
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