On March 30, 1981, Indiana defeated North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Finals, 63-50, as the Hoosiers’ future Hall of Fame point guard, Isiah Thomas, was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player. It would be the fourth of five NCAA national championships (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, and 1987) in the university’s history, thus far.
Coach Bobby Knight would lead the team to his second of three titles that he was personally on the sidelines for. The school’s all-time winningest coach, Knight, would finish his career at Texas Tech University after being dismissed in Bloomington following an allegedly violent encounter with a student.
Thomas would go on to become one of the game’s best point guards at the pro level, leading the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990. Known as ‘the Bad Boys, ‘ those Motor City squads became legendary for their tough, gritty play.
Following his playing career, Isiah Thomas’ number 11 was retired by the Pistons, and he would eventually go on to be elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Knight was inducted in 1991, while still active as a college coach at Indiana.
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