NCAA President Myles Brand, who will be forever remembered for firing coach Bob Knight, died after a 9-month battle with pancreatic cancer surrounded by family at his home in Indianapolis on Wednesday (September 16).

“Myles Brand was a dear friend and a great academic leader. … a tireless advocate for the student-athlete,” said Michael Adams, president of the University of Georgia and chairman of the NCAA Executive Committee, which will select his successor. “Indeed, he worked to ensure that the student was first in the student-athlete model. He will be greatly missed.”

Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski’s underscored Brand’s fence-mending with college basketball coaches, saying, “He was a true friend of college basketball, and the game made great strides as a result of him looking at things out of the box — trusting coaches, trusting players and making appropriate changes that have brought along more dialogue than there has ever been about our game. He will be missed as a man, he’ll be missed as a leader and he’ll be missed as a friend.”

Major-college faculty athletics representatives said in a collective statement, “We hoped against hope that Myles would beat the odds. … His leadership will be sorely missed among all NCAA member institutions.”

Myles is survived by his wife, Margaret Brand, and a son, Josh Brand.

R.I.P. Myles Brand!!