Rick Majerus
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Rick Majerus (born February 17, 1948 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin) is a former American men's basketball coach, most notably at the University of Utah. He also coached at Ball State University from 1987 to 1989, and Marquette from 1983 to 1986.
Majerus attended Marquette University, where he played as a walk-on in the 1967 season, but was cut from the team before his sophomore year. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in History, and would work as an assistant coach with the Warriors for the next 12 years, under mentor Al McGuire until 1977, and under Hank Raymonds until taking over as head coach himself in 1983. After three years as head coach at Marquette, and a 56-35 record, he became an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 1986-87 season. He coached at Ball State during the 1987-88 and 88-89 seasons, finishing with a record of 43-17. He lead Utah to the Final Four in 1998, eventually losing to Kentucky in the National Championship Game.
In 2004, Majerus was hired as coach of the University of Southern California basketball team. However, just days after being hired, he changed his mind, and hadn't been in coaching since. He now works as a commentator for ESPN.
Majerus is something of a fan favorite and cult figure around college basketball, known for being overweight and his quirky, jovial personality. He has had several heart attacks, and suffers from diabetes, but is still sometimes speculated to be in consideration by college programs in need of a coach.
[edit] Published works
In 2000, he released an autobiography My Life On a Napkin : Pillow Mints, Playground Dreams and Coaching the Runnin' Utes (ISBN 0-7868-8445-2), co-written by Gene Wojciechowski.
| Preceded by Al Brown |
Ball State University Head Basketball Coaches 1987–1989 |
Succeeded by Dick Hunsaker |
| Preceded by Lynn Archibald |
University of Utah Head Basketball Coaches 1989–2004 |
Succeeded by Ray Giacoletti |
