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El Paso’s well-known sportswriter, Bill Knight

El Paso Sportswriter, Legendary Storyteller Retires

 By Herman Delgado

On Jan. 2, a one of El Paso’s well-known sportswriter, Bill Knight, put his pen down for the final time for the El Paso Times. Knight called it a career after 44 years of writing stories on some of the most famous and coveted athletes that have graced recognizable sports’ arenas around the globe. The Knight Era on the pages of the Times came to an end, but a new chapter in his life awaits him.

 

Born and raised in Dallas and the only child of the late Harry and Jodie Knight, he graduated from Seagoville High School and the University of Texas at Arlington in 1974, receiving his degree in journalism. Knight put in a short stint at the Childress Daily Chronicle during the summer of 1974, and with a big smile and laugh explained his duties, “I was the managing editor, sports editor, I did everything but deliver it, but I think I did that one time.” His next assignment was from 1975 through 1979 at the Temple Daily Telegram.

 

In June 1979, Knight arrived at the Times, and as sayings go, “The rest is history.” During his 40 years of covering sports for the local newspaper, Knight interviewed and met hundreds of world famous athletes, which included Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Deon Sanders, Brett Favre, Steve Young, and Jim McMahon to name a few. It’s impossible to narrow it down to three, but I asked Knight to name three local athletes who he built a close working-friendship relationship with and made an impact on his career, and he mentioned: Seth Joyner (NFL), Tim Hardaway (NBA), and Obadele Thompson (three-time Olympian).

 

Over lunch and conversation over the past year, late UTEP Miner Coach Don Haskins was always part of our discussion. When I mention Coach Haskins, he flashes a big smile and simply says, “He was amazing!” Numerous stories that he shared had us smiling, laughing, and shaking our heads.  Knight had a great relationship with Coach Haskins, a friendship that extended beyond the basketball court. “After he retired he would call me every Sunday morning and we would talk like for an hour…talk sports,” Knight said.

 

I asked Knight what he planned on doing with all his free time and he looked me straight in the eye with this huge grin and said, “Nothing! I’m not going to do a thing for two months.” Once he gets back into the swing of things, he plans on taking up yoga classes and do some writing. “I have two outlines for some novels,” Knight said. “I have already written one.” El Paso is home and he has no plans on going anywhere. Father of three daughters: Kiki Grant (Bryan) and their son Colin, Ashley Chavez (Daniel), and Courtney Knight. He wants to spend time with Ashley and Daniel who reside here in El Paso, and also visit his daughter Kiki and her family up in Portland, Oregon.  Knight’s eyes light up when talking about his daughters. They have a great sense of humor and they keep him on his toes. “My youngest daughter heard me on radio one time and she said, ‘You have a good face for radio dad,’ ” Knight said.

 

Knight has covered and reported on sporting events throughout El Paso, visited 39 different states around the country, traveled with the UTEP football team to Australia in 1985, had numerous trips to Hawaii, and was present at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Ma. for the inductions of Texas Western/UTEP Coach Don Haskins in 1997, the 1966 NCAA National Champions Texas Western College basketball team in 2007 and El Paso native, University of Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson in 2014. Knight covered the gamut of sporting events at the local and national level from high school sports, UTEP Athletics, minor league baseball, professional and amateur boxing events, to name a few. If there was a major sporting event happening in El Paso, it’s a safe bet that Knight would be court side, up in the press box, or sitting ringside, pen in hand and a notebook to share with all his readers.

 

Knight won’t be retiring off into a beautiful sunset, kicking his feet in the sand, or sipping on a Margarita with a fancy mini-umbrella any time soon, but people will no longer see him walking down the tunnel entrance of the Don Haskins Center with pen and pad in hand, or sitting up in the UTEP Sun Bowl stadium press box keeping track of plays, yardage, and catches. It’s not “Adios Amigo!” but rather, “See you at the next game my friend!”