By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Thanks to the efforts of former Tennessee Tech men's basketball manager Danny Knight, the gentlemen that work primarily behind the scenes for the Golden Eagle men's squad will receive additional assistance toward completing their education with the founding of the Daniel L. Knight Scholarship Endowment.
"I want to thank Danny Knight for his gracious support of our Golden Eagle men's basketball program," Director of Athletics Mark Wilson said. "Our managers play a pivotal role in the success of our team, not just on the hardwood, but in the classroom and throughout the community. The opportunity he is providing is an excellent way for us to give back to students that devote so much time and effort to our men's basketball team."
Danny Knight was always told he was very intelligent. He felt graduating from Tech proved this, but he would have settled for being average in exchange for more athleticism and six more inches of height. Since that was not possible and his passion and love for the game of basketball burned brighter each day, he became a manager in high school. His high school coach encouraged him to become a basketball manager in the college ranks, citing his excellent track record and the opportunity to travel. He was right, but the opportunity provided so much more.
Knight arrived at Tech in the fall of 1980, serving as an assistant manager for head coach Tom Deaton, assistant coaches Frank Harrell and Rick Byrd and Tracy Craighead, the head manager. He used his time assisting the men's basketball program to learn valuable life lessons, forge lasting relationships with both players and coaches, and earn the education that paved the way to his successful professional career.
In his time as a manager, Knight learned how to handle working through difficult situations with people in order to better the organization. He also learned that everything counts, down to the smallest detail, and looking like a first-class organization that cares about doing things correctly is the best start to a business relationship. It was a total immersion into the world of college basketball and all the 'tricks of the trade,' including both playing and recruiting. Knight used (and continues to use) the lessons he learned from the coaches at Tennessee Tech when interviewing and recruiting new employees.
Knight founded the Daniel L. Knight Scholarship Endowment not only to assist the men's basketball program and thank it for all it provided to him, but also to provide the opportunity for another individual to share the same experiences and gain the same valuable lessons that helped shape him into the man he is today.
Join Danny Knight by establishing your own endowment or donating to a Golden Eagle team through the Tennessee Tech Athletics Association. For information on how you can give back to TTU Athletics, contact Associate Athletic Director for Development Matthew Pope at 931-372-3929 or mpope@tntech.edu.
