Mike Woodson’s tenure at Indiana hasn’t gone very well, but he’ll have at least one thing in common with former Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight when he leaves the program at the end of the season: Woodson is set to use the same chair Knight infamously tossed four decades ago in a home loss to Purdue.
Woodson found the chair, according to the Indianapolis Star, and used it during Sunday’s game against Purdue, 40 years to the day after Knight’s toss.
At the time, Knight received a technical foul for arguing with the referees over what the famously combative Knight thought were too many fouls called on his team.
So when Purdue’s Steve Reid went to the line for free throws on another Hoosier foul, Knight grabbed a chair and ripped it from the bench before tossing it on the court.
He was ejected and eventually made light of the incident to David Letterman, when he said a woman in attendance reminded him of his grandmother.
“I said, ‘Did you want me for something?’” Knight joked. “And she just said, ‘If you’re not going to sit down any more today than you have so far, could I have your chair?’”
Since then, the chair’s location remained a mystery, as several people said they had it in their possession.
It was not known how Woodson, who played at Indiana and previously coached the Knicks, got the chair.
Under Woodson, Indiana was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and the second round in 2023.
The Hoosiers failed to qualify for the tournament last year and entered Sunday’s game 15-11 with a 6-9 Big Ten record, having lost eight of their previous 10 games.
