By Beth Rosenberg
The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - It's not unusual to see Indiana basketball fans decked out in red. But for some, it no longer represents the crimson of Indiana University, but the scarlet of Texas Tech.

It's been more than two years since coach Bob Knight was fired from IU and subsequently went to Texas Tech to lead the Red Raiders.

And while some IU fans continue to root for the Hoosiers and their new coach, Mike Davis, others have turned their loyalties westward.

"People do not want to let go of him," said Jean Duncan, a 1976 IU graduate who has organized fund-raisers for Texas Tech basketball scholarships. "He's such an important part of basketball in the state of Indiana."

Duncan, 50, has attended dozens of Texas Tech games, organized group trips to Tech games and recently presented the school with $100,000 - about half the cost of an endowed basketball scholarship. She plans to continue her fund-raising efforts to come up with the money needed for a full endowment.

"I was amazed that someone who had given so much to the state of Indiana and IU didn't get so much as a gold watch," Duncan said. "This is, in some small way, the gold watch he never received."

Duncan is far from alone in her loyalty to Knight.

Geoffrey Fortner, who attended IU for both undergraduate studies and medical school, grew up watching Bob Knight basketball and has taken trips to see Texas Tech play.

"The way he ran his program for close to 30 years at IU certainly builds loyalty," said Fortner, 30, who lives in Indianapolis. "The way he leads a basketball program is very appealing to watch."

Larry Johnson, 32, of Fairmont in central Indiana, runs a Web site for Knight fans and has not supported IU since Knight was fired. Johnson has even thrown out all but a few pieces of IU memorabilia and started to collect Texas Tech items.

"I look forward to the day when coach Knight will lead Texas Tech to a victory over IU," Johnson said.

Bob Carroll, 80, said Knight inspires devotion.

"I think it's because of the many things he has done besides being a basketball coach, like raising money," said Carroll, who founded the Indiana Double T Club for other Knight fans.

The club has about 35 members. It meets monthly during basketball season and recently has been taping programs to send to KKAM Sports Radio in Lubbock, Texas - the home of Texas Tech.

Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said it's unusual for a coach to stay with one program for 29 years. Such longevity inspires loyalty.

Also, Haney said, because Knight was fired from IU, rather than retiring, it may makes fans' emotions about the coach more fervent.

Some may feel that Knight simply did not get a chance to finish his job.

"It's pretty remarkable, quite frankly," Haney said of fans traveling hundreds of miles to see Knight coach or raising thousands of dollars for scholarships at a Texas university.

Haney also noted that Knight is the sort of coach who transcends his job.

"He's become sort of an icon," he said. "He gains a lot of attention."