Rick Majerus

In 1971, after graduating from Marquette, Majerus became an assistant coach with the Marquette Warriors, where he remained for 12 years, serving under mentor Al McGuire and Hank Raymonds, before taking over as head coach in 1983. He was an assistant under McGuire when the Warriors advanced to the 1974 Final four and won the 1977 NCAA Championship. Longtime NBA player and coach Glenn Doc Rivers played at Marquette and it was Majerus that gave Rivers his "Doc" nickname.[1]

As head coach at Marquette, Majerus led the Warriors to a 56–35 (.615) record and three consecutive NIT appearances in his three seasons.

After three years as head coach at Marquette, he became an assistant coach with the National Basketball Association's Milwaukee Bucks for the 1986–87 season, serving under Don Nelson.

He coached at Ball State University for two seasons where he had a record of 43-17. After a 14-14 initial season, Mejerus led the team to the NCAA tournament in the 1988-89 season. The 1988-89 team holds the record for best men's basketball won-lost mark (29-3) in Ball State University history. He definitely had Ball State's program on the upswing before his departure to Utah in 1989.[4]

Majerus accepted the position at Utah in 1989. In leading the "Runnin Utes" to a 1996 sweet 16 match up against Kentucky, Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino had given the opinion that Utah should be favored to win the game. Majerus responded, “if you put the two of us in a sumo ring I’d crush him. On the basketball court, I think we’re in trouble.”[2]

Majerus led Utah to the Final Four in 1998 NCAA tournament, eventually losing to Kentucky in the National Championship Game. He was greatly affected by the loss, and claimed to be able to recite the last six minutes of play of the championship game second by second. After the 1998 championship game loss to Kentucky, Majerus responded, “When I die, they might as well bury me at the finish line at Churchill Downs so they can run over me again."[2][5]

While at Utah, he was known for living out of a hotel room, noting that he liked that "There’s clean towels, my bed is turned down every night and there’s a mint on my pillow, no matter what psychological or emotional crisis the maid is going through."[5][6]

He was an assistant coach under Don Nelson for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.[7]

Majerus left the Utah team after the opening game of the 2000-01 season to rehabilitate his right knee. Intending to return after the first week of 2001, Majerus was hospitalized on New Year's Day 2001 due to chest pains. Later in January 2001, Majerus announced that he would sit out the rest of the season to recover from his own health problems and to be with his ailing mother.[8] He handed over the team to assistant Dick Hunsaker, who guided the team to a 19-10 record and an NIT appearance.[9] Majerus then returned to Utah in the fall of 2001.[10]

Majerus was accused of berating and verbally abuse his players. Lance Allred, who wrote about it in his autobiography Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA, told of his three years at Utah and that Majerus would humiliate him, often targeting his disability—Allred being partially deaf and requiring hearing aids.[11] Allred transferred after the 2001-02 season, but Majerus was later "cleared of any wrongdoing."[12]

He left Utah in January 2004 after 15 seasons and a 323–95 (.773) record, in part to get control of his health; he had previously underwent seven vessel bypass surgery to his heart in 1989. Majerus was known to swim for an hour per day in his years after surgery.[13]

On December 15, 2004, Majerus was hired as coach of the University of Southern California basketball team; he was to replace interim coach Jim Saia, who was replacing fired coach Henry Bibby, with Majerus taking over effective April 1, 2005. His contract was scheduled to pay him $5 million over five years.[14]

Majerus gave an energetic and humorous press conference on the day of his hire, but also noted "I hope I die here. I hope I coach here the rest of my life."[5][15] In order to take the position, he needed to buy himself out of his contract as an analyst for ESPN.[16] However, Majerus unexpectedly resigned only five days later in a somber, and at times weeping, press conference. He apologized to the university and stated that his health and fitness were not yet at a stage where he thought he could perform his new duties, noting "I wanted this job so bad I was in denial where my health actually is [. . .] I realized [USC] wasn’t getting the guy they hired. I came to that conclusion myself. I’m not fit for this job by my standards."[17] Years later, however, Majerus would claim that the true reason for his change of mind had not been his health, but rather had been his mother's request that he not take the job, which would have meant his relocation to Los Angeles, far removed from her home in Wisconsin.[18]

Majerus worked as a game and studio analyst for ESPN from 2004 to 2007.

Majerus was a fan favorite and cult figure around college basketball, known for his portly, rotund figure and his quirky, jovial personality. He enjoyed bratwursts, a sausage popular in his native Wisconsin.[19]

On April 27, 2007, Majerus accepted the head coaching position at Saint Louis University; his contract was for six years.[20] His tenure at SLU got off to a rocky start; in their first conference game, the Billikens set an NCAA Division I record for fewest points scored in a game in the modern era of college basketball, losing 49-20 to George Washington.[21] However, as he had done previously at other programs, Majerus eventually made SLU a winning program. In 2012, he led the Billikens to their first NCAA Tournament in 12 years, and their first appearance in a major poll in 17 years.

On August 24, 2012, Majerus announced he would not coach the 2012–13 season due to serious heart problems.[22] Jim Crews, one of his assistants, took over for him on a temporary basis for that season.[23] On November 16, it was announced that Majerus was retiring when it was apparent that his heart condition would not improve enough to allow him to return.[24]

Majerus compiled a 95–69 (.579) record at St. Louis University and retired with an overall NCAA record of 517–215 (.706).

For years, Majerus battled health problems due to obesity. He missed all but the first six games of the 1989–90 season, which was his first at Utah, after undergoing septuple-bypass surgery.[8] Then, in September 2000, Majerus had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee but didn't follow a doctor's orders to take a break from basketball; this prevented his knee from healing properly.[8] On New Year's Day 2001, Majerus complained of chest pains and was hospitalized for one week, prompting him to take the rest of the year off from coaching to devote his energies to his health and also to his ailing mother.[8] He returned to coaching in the fall of 2001.[10]

Majerus died of heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital on December 1, 2012 at age 64.[25] He had battled heart trouble for most of the time since 1989.[24]

A public memorial service for current and former athletes, coaches, students, and members of the Saint Louis and University community was held on Friday, December 7, 2012, at 3:30 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena on the SLU campus. His private funeral service was in Milwaukee's Church of the Gesu, on Saturday, December 8, 2012.[26][27]

Saint Louis University athletic director Chris May said of Majerus "His enduring passion to see his players excel both on and off the court. He truly embraced the term 'student-athlete,' and I think that will be his lasting legacy."[1]

Utah athletic director Dr. Chris Hill said of Majerus upon his passing, "Rick left a lasting legacy at the University of Utah, not only for his incredible success and the national prominence he brought to our basketball program, but also for the tremendous impact he made on the young men who were fortunate enough to play on his teams."[1]