According to the profile, “A major factor in [Duke Athletic Director Tom] Butters’ decision to hire Krzyzewski was the recommendation of [Coach Bobby] Knight, for whom Butters has a tremendous amount of respect.”
It’s difficult to imagine what Duke would be like today if Butters hadn’t tapped Krzyzewski as head coach, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re all glad he did.
According to the article, “Krzyzewski laugh[s] when he is called a mere clone of Knight.”
Looking back on Coach K’s remarks on Knight with the benefits of hindsight (and the handy knowledge that Coach K would surpass his former coach to become the winningest coach in the history of Division I basketball), Krzyzewski’s quotes seem both prophetic and ironically self-descriptive.
"There is very little difference between Coach Knight’s coaching philosophy—the X’s and O’s—and my own," said Coach K, in the article from 31 years (and many, many wins) ago. "His success has been wrought by a combination of organizational ability and sheer hard work. He believes in establishing a set of principles and standing by them."
Commenting on his own coaching style, he went on to explain, his only rule for his players is that they don't do anything detrimental to the college basketball program, a policy that still stands.
"I think it’s a tremendous honor to be mentioned with Coach Knight as a coach," said Coach K. "I have a lot of respect for him, and he’s opened doors for me in the profession. But I’m not Bobby Knight, I’m Mike Krzyzewski. I just like being myself—not fitting his image, [previous coach] Bill Foster’s image, or the Duke image."
In the article, Coach K then goes on to talk about Duke in words that make a Blue Devil feel warm and fuzzy inside.
"Sometimes you walk into a place and it just feels right," he said in the article. "That’s the type of feeling I had about Duke. I had kind of a gut feeling that I would get the job, and I can’t envision myself leaving Duke voluntarily.... Of course there’s a lot of pressure here. The people here are fanatical about basketball, and the competition is extremely stiff. But I like the hoopla or I wouldn’t have taken the job here. There will be times where, I’m sure, it will get to be too much. Then you just have to say ‘no.’ The pressure I feel is wanting to do the best job I can. If you’re caught up in the peripheral pressure, you’re missing the boat.’
Little did readers know at the time, doing the “best job” he could would make Coach K legendary.
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