If a prominent sports figure puts his medals, plaques or championship rings up for sale, more often than not, it's out of desperation after a spending spree or a bad investment plunged him into debt.
In Bob Knight's case, the reason is apparently far more benevolent.
The legendary former Indiana coach will put some of the most valuable artifacts up for sale in an auction running until Dec. 5 in order to generate some extra money to help pay for the college education of his grandkids and nieces and nephews. Among the items that will be the centerpiece of the auction: Knight's 1988 coach of the year award, his 1984 Olympic gold medal and the rings from his three NCAA title teams at Indiana — including the undefeated 1976 season.
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John Havlicek and I were just talking one day about all the stuff we had accumulated over the years," Knight told the Associated Press. "As we talked we decided the money could be very useful to put our grandchildren through college.
What a cool thing to do. Stuff is just stuff, no matter what it symbolizes. He doesn't need the artifacts to trigger memories of all he's accomplished, and what he's giving his relatives is far better than any trophies he'd leave them in his will.
