Hall of Honor
Little did Buccaneer basketball fans dream that the hiring of Bill Knapton as men’s basketball coach in 1957 would find them witnessing the crafting of a living legend. He arrived on campus with impressive credentials, first as an outstanding athlete at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he captained the basketball and baseball teams and later was named to its Athletic Hall of Honor; next as the coach at Stevens Point (Wis.) High School, where his team won the 1954 state basketball championship and had a two-season record of 42-7, and then as an assistant coach for three years at Marquette University. Over the next four decades, Knapton guided Beloit teams to 31 winning seasons, including 20 in a row, and often out executed more talented opponents with his basketball moxie and intelligence. He compiled a 557-343 record, and his 344 Midwest Conference victories and 10 championships were the best of any coach in the league’s 76-year history. In 1981, the Bucs posted a 24-2 record and were ranked the nation’s No. 1 Division III team for five weeks, with Knapton earning NCAA Midwest regional and conference “Coach of the Year” honors. A creative and committed competitor whose passion for the game and caring for his players were contagious, he later served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for two years. At the time of his retirement in 1997, his 557 victories ranked him third among active Division III coaches and fifth all-time. Knapton’s tenure at Beloit included service as athletic director, golf and baseball coach, and assistant in other sports. Bill and his wife Joan have two daughters, two sons, and several grandchildren. They recently moved to The Villages, Florida and continue to enjoy retirement.
