Men’s Golf Head Coach (1987-2021)
A legendary figure in his sport, the two-time National Coach of the Year built Rebel Golf from near-anonymity into a collegiate powerhouse and produced one team and two individual NCAA Championships during his record-setting tenure. An accomplished golfer in his own right, Knight played four seasons at New Mexico, including the 1967 team that won the WAC championship and placed ninth at nationals. He spent five years (1972-77) on the PGA Tour, winning his first tournament as early as his second season. After leaving the tour, Knight replaced Dick McGuire as the Lobos head coach in 1978. A decade later he was lured away from his alma mater to develop the Rebels – and did just that, culminating with the ultimate accomplishment when UNLV won the school’s second-ever team NCAA title in 1998, fittingly back home in Albuquerque. The numbers over 34 seasons leading the elite program are staggering: Knight saw his team make a NCAA-record 31 straight appearances at the regionals from 1988-2019, an unprecedented 22 trips to the national finals and 11 top-eight finishes. The Rebels earned their first-ever No. 1 ranking in 1993 and following the 1997-98 season, the team finished No. 1 in the nation in all polls. A true teacher of the sport, Knight tutored 48 All-Americans at UNLV, a National Player of the Year, a National Freshman of the Year, a U.S. Amateur Champion, three U.S. Public Links Champions, four Walker Cup participants and eight Palmer Cup representatives. In addition to the team crown, he coached two players to individual national championships - Warren Schutte in 1991 and Ryan Moore in 2004. Knight won eight conference championships and developed 89 all-conference players while in the classroom, helped 22 Rebel golfers earn the All-America Scholar award while four were named Academic All-Americans. A dozen of his players went on to play on the PGA Tour, combining for 31 titles, including Adam Scott's win at the 2013 Masters. Already a veteran of entering Halls of Fame, Knight was inducted by the Golf Coaches Association of America, the Southern Nevada Golf Association, the Southern Nevada Sports and the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame. In 2008, his 1998 National Champion squad was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame -- tonight, it’s his turn!
-1998 GCAA and Golfweek National Coach of the Year
-1991 GCAA National Coach of the Year
-Conference Coach of the Year: 1979, 1989, 1998, 2002 and 2017
-District Coach of the Year: 1981, 1991, 1998 and 2005
