STATEHOUSE (Jan. 14, 2026) – State Rep. Peggy Mayfield’s (R-Martinsville) proposal to rename a stretch of State Road 45 near Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s main campus in Bloomington after the late legendary basketball coach Robert “Bobby” Montgomery Knight recently passed the Indiana House of Representatives.
“Bobby Knight is a legendary name in Indiana and across the college basketball landscape,” Mayfield said. “A road renamed in his honor will ensure his legacy and contributions to Indiana University, college basketball and the state of Indiana live on for years to come. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting this resolution.”
Knight coached the Indiana University men’s basketball team from 1971 to 2000, where he led the Hoosiers to three national championships, 11 Big Ten championships and one National Invitation Tournament title. Known as “The General,” he ranks 14th on the all-time coaches list for victories and was named National Coach of the Year in 1975, ’76, ’87 and ’89. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
A native of Ohio, Knight played basketball at Ohio State University, where he graduated with a degree in history and government. He then served his country honorably in the U.S. Army, where he would later coach the Black Knights basketball team, being named head coach at age 24. Knight then went to IU, where his name is still synonymous with Hoosier basketball.
Mayfield said that Knight’s famed rivalry and friendship with Purdue men’s basketball coach Gene Keady, his incredible career and prominent personality are some of the many reasons why in 49 other states it’s just basketball — but this is Indiana.
Mayfield noted that if Indiana wins the College Football Playoff National Championship next week, they would become the first school in modern sports history to hold undefeated championships in both football, this season, and men’s basketball, the 1975-76 season under Coach Knight.
House Concurrent Resolution 4 passed out of the House unanimously. It will move to the Senate for further consideration. Once a renaming resolution passes through the Indiana General Assembly, the Indiana Department of Transportation can move forward with the project.
