Born in 1940 in the Ohio town of Massillon, Knight grew up in Orrville, Ohio. He began playing organized basketball at Orrville High School. Knight continued playing for Ohio State under the direction of Basketball Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor in 1958.
He was a reserve forward for the 1960 Ohio State Buckeyes team that won the NCAA Championship and included two Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, even though he was an outstanding player in high school.
Knight played in the next two NCAA Championship games, both of which ended in losses for the Buckeyes against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Because of the Ohio State teams’ star power, Knight usually didn’t receive much playing time, but it didn’t stop him from making an impression.
Knight came off the bench with 1:41 left in the 1961 NCAA Championship game, Cincinnati leading Ohio State, 61-59.
In addition to hoops, Knight reportedly lettered in baseball and football at Ohio State. Nevertheless, Knight’s name is not on the list of the program’s official football letter recipients. Knight graduated with a degree in history and government in 1962.
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