Rick Majerus

Rick Majerus (1948-2012)

Teams coached: Marquette Golden Eagles, Ball State Cardinals, Utah Utes, Saint Louis Billikens
Marquette record: 56-35 (.615)
Ball State record: 43-17 (.717)
Utah record: 323-95 (.773)
Saint Louis record: 95-69 (.579)
Overall record: 517-216 (.705)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1998)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  12  (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2012)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  4  (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  1  (1998)
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  4  (1984, 1985, 1986, 1992)
• CBI Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 2010)
• CBI Appearances:  1  (2010)
• Mountain West Regular Season Champion:  3  (2000, 2001, 2003) 
• WAC Regular Season Champion:  7  (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) 
• MAC Regular Season Champion:  1  (1989) 
• Mountain West Tournament Champion:  1  (2004) 
• WAC Tournament Champion:  3  (1995, 1997, 1999)
• MAC Tournament Champion:  1  (1989)

Awards:

• UPI Coach of the Year:  1  (1991)
• WAC Coach of the Year:  4  (1991, 1993, 1995, 1999)
• MAC Coach of the Year:  1  (1989)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2019)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

Rick Majerus Facts

• Richard Raymond Majerus
• Born February 17, 1948
• Died December 1, 2012
• Hometown: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
• Alma Mater: Marquette University (BA, 1970)
• Graduated from Marquette University HS and then Marquette University, both in Milwaukee
  • Was briefly a walk-on at Marquette but spent most of his undergrad years as a student assistant at under legendary head coach Al McGuire
• Started his coaching career in 1971, spending six seasons as one of McGuire’s assistants at his alma mater
  • Worked as an assistant under next head coach Hank Raymonds for another six seasons
• Succeeded Raymonds as Marquette head coach, winning 56 games in three seasons and reaching three NITs
• Spent one year as an assistant to Don Nelson with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks
• Went 43-17 in two seasons as the head coach at Ball State, leading the Cardinals to a MAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance in year two
• Took over as the head coach at Utah in 1989, a position he would hold until 2004
  • Won 323 games and went to ten NCAA Tournaments at Utah, including a Final Four & Runner-up finish in 1998
  • Utah won nine regular season titles under Majerus (seven WAC, two MWC)
  • Three different times (1990, 2000 & 2004) had to step aside for medical or personal reasons, turning over the team to one of his assistants
  • Released an autobiography in 2000: My Life On A Napkin: Pillow Mints, Playground Dreams and Coaching the Runnin’ Utes
• Hired to be the next head coach at USC in December 2004, but five days after his introductory press conference he resigned citing health concerns
  • Though he would step away from Utah a month later due to his health, Majerus later stated that it was actually his mother’s health that caused him to pull away from coaching
• Worked as an ESPN game and studio analyst from 2004 to 2007 before getting back into coaching
• Hired in April 2007 as head coach at Saint Louis, finishing as CBI runner-up his third year and reaching the NCAA Tournament in his fifth year
  • Announced in August he would miss the 2012-13 SLU season due to health problems, turning the team over to assistant Jim Crews
  • Officially retired in November after it was clear his health would not allow him to return to the sidelines
  • In December of 2012, Majerus suffered a heart attack and passed away at age 64

Rick Majerus Coaching Tree

• Joe Cravens (Weber State, Idaho, Utah)
• Donny Daniels (Cal State Fullerton)
• Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley, Utah, Manchester, Ball State)
• Alex Jensen (Canton Charge)
• Jeff Judkins (BYU women’s)
• Andre Miller (Grand Rapids Gold)
• Porter Moser (Oklahoma, Loyola IL)
• Kerry Rupp (Louisiana Tech, Utah)
• Jim Whitesell (Buffalo)