WINNEMUCCA - If you have been a fan of Division III high school football in northern Nevada over the past 20 years, you could easily hear the distinguishing voice of Tim Knight on the sidelines on many Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.
Knight walked the sideline as the head coach of the Longhorns for the past 10 years, after being an assistant at the school for 10 years when Jay Huckaby was the head coach.
Battle Mountain High School and the community were stunned when Knight, also a history teacher and track and field coach at the school, died on Monday, July 8, after a heart attack, just months before his 50th birthday.
"Obviously, it's a huge blow for the school and the community," said BMHS athletic director Paul Tremayne. "He was part of the school for 20 years and was great with the kids. He will be missed as a coach and even more as a teacher."
This past season on the gridiron, Knight led the Longhorns to a 7-4 record, including a 12-9 upset victory over Yerington in the opening-round of the regional playoffs. Battle Mountain reached the Division III state semifinals, where it lost 7-6 to Mountain View Christian in Las Vegas.
In his 10 years as head coach, Knight never experienced a losing season, winning at least six games every year.
His best season at Battle Mountain was in 2006 when the Longhorns went 10-1. Battle Mountain was the Division III state runner-up on three occasions, including 2003, 2004 and 2008. Knight was named the Nevada Coach of the Year in 2004.
A vigil for the coach was held at the high school football field on the night of Monday, July 8. A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 12.
"The football players put the vigil together quickly on their own through Facebook and Twitter," Tremayne said. "The kids were devastated when they heard the news. By the number of people that attended the vigil and service, you could see how much he was loved in the community."
After graduating high school in Burley, Idaho, Knight continued his football career at BYU, after receiving a scholarship from the school. Knight and Huckaby were teammates when they played for the Cougars.
He was part of the 2004 national championship team at BYU. The Cougars defeated Michigan in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif., capping off a perfect 13-0 season. In 2004, members of that 1984 team were inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Knight earned numerous honors at BYU, including being named the Western Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Player, AP Honorable Mention All-American and Western Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Award.
"There are going to be a lot of emotions when school starts," Tremayne said. "It's going to be a rough start to the year. He was a very good guy and will be missed by a lot of people."
With the start of the fall season just a couple of weeks away, Battle Mountain has hired Mitch Domagala as head coach for the season.
"We were looking at what was best for this year," Tremayne said. "We thought about having the assistant coaches do it as a group. Mitch and Tim were very good friends and (Mitch) was alongside of him at the hospital when Tim passed away. After this year, we will evaluate where the program is and go from there. We also lost a good teacher that was great with the students and we have to replace that as well."[[In-content Ad]]
