Bob Knight, a legendary basketball coach who led the Indiana University Hoosiers to three national titles, died at 83, his family confirmed in a statement Wednesday evening. 

"We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored," the statement read. "We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved husband, father, coach, and friend."

His family confirmed he died at his home in Bloomington.

He spent his time with the Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000. Before then, he was the head coach at Army between 1965 and 1971. 

He finished his career at Texas Tech as head coach from 2001 to 2008.

Knight was among the winningest coaches in the sport, finishing his career with 902 victories in 42 seasons at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech. He also coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984.

The Hall of Famer cared little what others thought of him, choosing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" to celebrate his 880th win in 2007, then the record for a Division I men’s coach.

He was nicknamed “The General” and his temper was such that in 2000 it cost him his job at Indiana. He once hit a police officer in Puerto Rico, threw a chair across the court and was accused of wrapping his hands around a player's neck.

His critics fumed relentlessly about his conduct, but his defenders were legion. There was this side of Knight as well: He took pride in his players’ high graduation rates, and during a rule-breaking era he never was accused of a major NCAA violation.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.