Almost 20 years ago today
Knight's chair toss isn't forgotten
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Those closest to
Steve Reid know him as president of a trucking company, a former teammate and a dad.
However, most others know Reid as the answer to a trivia question.
For 20 years, his life has been defined by one enduring image —
Bob Knight hurling a red plastic chair across the basketball court as Reid stood at the free-throw line for Purdue.
“There are times I walk into a meeting or a friend calls to say, ‘I saw you on TV last night,' ” Reid said from his Georgia home. “I know what they're talking about.”
Like other famous trivia answers, Reid's name will forever be linked to the question: “Who was the guy?”
The chair toss also remains a defining moment in the Indiana-Purdue rivalry. The teams will meet up again today in Bloomington, Ind., one day short of the 20th anniversary of Knight's throw.
Purdue coach
Gene Keady is the last remaining major link to the outburst, and he will be coaching his final game at Assembly Hall.
Two decades ago, Keady walked into the postgame news conference after a 72-63 win and insisted the important thing was that Purdue won.
In Reid's mind, the red speck he noticed out of the corner of his eye never faded. Nor did the ensuing collapse — he missed three of six free throws as Knight was tossed from the game.
Knight, fired by Indiana in 2000, now coaches at Texas Tech.
What ignited the outburst was a scramble for a loose ball at midcourt. Indiana's
Daryl Thomas drew his second foul 5 minutes into the game when Knight insisted it should have been a jump ball. Knight was called for a technical, but before Reid shot the free throws, Knight grabbed a chair with two hands and flung it toward the basket. Knight apologized the next day, and Big Ten officials gave him a one-game suspension.
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Throwing a hissy
Bob Knight (above) isn't the only sports figure who has thrown things around in the heat of the moment:
• Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield threw a baseball and hit a seagull between innings at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto (1983).
• Royals manager Hal McRae swept items off his desk, and a glass ashtray hit a reporter under his eye (1993).
• Blades coach Doug Soetaert heaved a trash can onto the Kemper Arena ice (1991).
• Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco tossed a chair into the stands in Oakland and hit a spectator in the face (2004).
• Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens grabbed a broken bat and tossed it back toward the Mets' Mike Piazza (2000).
• Lou Piniella tossed first base or anything he could grab in the dugout onto the field (numerous times).
• A Pistons fan threw a drink onto the Pacers' Ron Artest (2004).
• Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh hit the Durham Bull (1988).
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