Rick Majerus (1948-2012)

[vick]

NBC (http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/01/breaking-former-st-louis-utah-coach-rick-majerus-has-died/) (and others) reporting that Rick Majerus, who left Saint Louis earlier this year for health reasons, has died of heart failure.

[duke4ever19]

A great coach who put the Utes on the map. I always remember his '98 Final Four team with fondness.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2012/12/1/3716134/rick-majererus-dead

[duke4ever19]

Just beat me on the post. Feel free to consolidate this thread.

[Edouble]

The game has lost a great basketball mind and personality. He will be missed.

[CameronBornAndBred]

RIP. Enjoyed his presence in the coaching world, all the way up to the end (at least as far as his last game in Cameron last year.)

[OldPhiKap]

Sorry to hear, guess it is not much of a surprise. Rest in peace, Rick.

[Edouble]

I'll also add that my finest single pick in any NCAA bracket (and unlike some, I only fill out one bracket per tourney) was picking Utah to play in the championship game in 1998.

I was, and still am, very proud of that one, as none of my friends had it and it helped me to do pretty well in my pool. I am generally pretty terrible at picking those things.

I certainly owe Coach Majerus for helping my pick come true.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Rest In peace, Coach.

[timmy c]

I'll also add that my finest single pick in any NCAA bracket (and unlike some, I only fill out one bracket per tourney) was picking Utah to play in the championship game in 1998.

I was, and still am, very proud of that one, as none of my friends had it and it helped me to do pretty well in my pool. I am generally pretty terrible at picking those things.

I certainly owe Coach Majerus for helping my pick come true.

I think his Utes beat the heels that year to advance to the finals. R.I.P. Rick.

[moonpie23]

sad to hear this.....he'll be missed .....

[Cameron]

He was arguably the greatest coach of the '90s outside of K, Dean and Pitino. He took a relatively unknown team from the Great Salt Lake City, known only for the Utah Jazz and skiing before his arrival, and turned it into a college basketball powerhouse that reached the pinnacle of the sport, the Monday night national championship game, in April of 1998. The Runnin' Utes led the University of Kentucky by double figures at half-time and, if it weren't for Jeff Sheppard catching fire in the second stanza, would have won it all.

He might not have been the greatest person who ever lived -- there were a few less-than-heartwarming stories that surfaced about the long-time Utah coach over the years -- but how many of us actually are. We all have our faults. What he definitely was, was a personality truly larger than the game and a fine coach. His portly presence on the sideline will be missed.

[papa whiskey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RXaERVhNuU


This may not be totally appropriate for a somber thread but this is easily one of the funniest moments in broadcast history. I never met Rick but he always seemed like a genuinely nice and good human being. He will be missed. R.I.P. Coach.

[Newton_14]

Very sad. The world lost a good man and a great basketball mind and coach. One of the good guys. I will always remember him as the coach of Utah, and they had some solid teams. RIP Coach

[roywhite]

What a unique and interesting guy.

I hope he realized how many people liked him.

[throatybeard]

Very sad news here. I was worried as soon as I heard on the radio that he was going on medical leave back in the summer.

Unfortunately, I can't find a youtube for what he said about Jay Bilas' shirt.

[Wander]

Unfortunately, I can't find a youtube for what he said about Jay Bilas' shirt.

What about one with Marty Pocius' calves?!

[Edouble]

What about one with Marty Pocius' calves?!

HA! I was just thinking of that too. Somewhere tonight, there's just a little sag in Marty's calves.

[tbyers11]

Great basketball mind from his days with Al Maguire at Marquette to Utah to St Louis. The triangle-and-2 against Arizona in the Elite 8 in 1998 was stuff of legend.

His work at ESPN (Ashley Judd, making fun of Jay's shirt, peeing in the shower, his love affair with Marty Pocius' calves) was pretty good too.

RIP Coach Majerus

[OZZIE4DUKE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RXaERVhNuU


This may not be totally appropriate for a somber thread but this is easily one of the funniest moments in broadcast history. I never met Rick but he always seemed like a genuinely nice and good human being. He will be missed. R.I.P. Coach.

If you'll notice, Duke beat St. Johns that night 70-57, and JJ had 18 points!

[throatybeard]

I don't know if they're all accurate, but they're all funny:

http://www.kbrews.com/majerus/majquotes.html

[hurleyfor3]

If I'm lucky, I'll be seeing him in purgatory. And I don't mean the ski resort near Durango.

[throatybeard]

FFrasch on Majerus' death:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rfje8XAhxg

[sagegrouse]

Very sad news here. I was worried as soon as I heard on the radio that he was going on medical leave back in the summer.

Unfortunately, I can't find a youtube for what he said about Jay Bilas' shirt.

I'll supply the quote, which I am sure Throaty also knows by heart. And, while inappropriate to a solemn moment, we must recognize that Rick Majerus never had a solemn moment.

Rick and the ESPN gang are doing the Maui classic. All the announcers are wearing Hawaiian shirts except Bilas, who is wearing a polo shirt and looking sinfully preppy. Majerus comments, "Jay, you look like the kind of guy who would get out of the shower to take a leak." My jaw hit my chest. I couldn't believe what I heard.

I am sorry to hear that this unique character has passed from the earth. I will miss him.

sagegrouse

[throatybeard]

I'll supply the quote, which I am sure Throaty also knows by heart. And, while inappropriate to a solemn moment, we must recognize that Rick Majerus never had a solemn moment.

Rick and the ESPN gang are doing the Maui classic. All the announcers are wearing Hawaiian shirts except Bilas, who is wearing a polo shirt and looking sinfully preppy. Majerus comments, "Jay, you look like the kind of guy who would get out of the shower to take a leak." My jaw hit my chest. I couldn't believe what I heard.

I am sorry to hear that this unique character has passed from the earth. I will miss him.

sagegrouse

That was great.

Here's Bernie's column from August about Majerus. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-majerus-face-to-face-with-fear/article_97c4b03f-2b06-5627-b0e3-b1f7518e0fdd.html

Bernie talks about common struggles with weight--It should be noted that Bernie Miklasz has lost around 85 pounds since around the time of that dinner. I don't know how he's done it, but it's amazing. He talked about it on his radio show in a way that sounded sort of unprompted about two months ago. Like, he had an existential crisis about how he was probably going to leave his loved ones soon, and he finally committed to getting the weight off even though it was so hard for him.

Let me say another thing about Majerus that I never appreciated till living here. (I moved here the same year he took the SLU job). I don't follow college BB as closely as a lot of y'all, so I hadn't put this together about the man. But Bernie, or the Fast Lane guys, would have him on the radio from time to time. Majerus had what I would admiringly call "Bob Knight syndrome," which is a condition whereby you cannot simply answer a question succinctly, but rather have to provide oodles of context around your answer. In our dumbed-down, short-attention-span culture, I found it refreshing. Bernie, or Randy Carriker (also a bypass patient now) would ask the guy a question, and he'd talk well into the break because he gave them so much context. I've heard enough commercials for Bandana's BBQ. I wish I could hear Majerus plow fifteen minutes though a ten-minute segment just one more time.

[subzero02]

I remember visiting Duke as a senior in high school and giving Mcleod a high five in celebration of Utah's win over unc... Majerus will be sorely missed by the basketball world

[BD80]

I don't know if they're all accurate, but they're all funny:

http://www.kbrews.com/majerus/majquotes.html

Like I always told Bobby Knight, 'Nothing good happens around a salad bar.'

[Cameron]

Of all the outlandishly colorful Majerus quotes listed on that site above, this might have been my favorite.

"I love coaching. I have a great passion for it. I still have a ball in the back of my car. I love to play."


These are the guys that make the game so special. This is a horrible night. RIP, big guy.

[jay]

I heard a lot of horror stories over the years about Majerus and how he treated his players (and managers). Some stories would make even Bobby Knight's head spin.

[godukerocks]

I remember when I was in 7th grade, after the big win over Seton Hall in 2006, I walked up near the bird's nest to ask for him and Dave O'Brien's autograph. Rick gladly signed my autograph book, while telling me "You're gonna play for the Utes one day aren't ya? Gonna be a Ute!"

One story that particularly moves me is when Keith Van Horn's mother asked Rick to break the news to him about his father passing. Rick took him to a small diner and spent all night with him there, consoling him, each telling stories about their fathers. Is this the scenario when the NCAA said it was a violation the Majerus paid for Van Horn's meal that night?

I'm greatly saddened.

[throatybeard]

I heard a lot of horror stories over the years about Majerus and how he treated his players (and managers). Some stories would make even Bobby Knight's head spin.

^ The SI article covers this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/01/17/majerus/index.html

I think I'd go with "make Bobby Knight somewhat similar."

Here's a counterpoint from Bernie:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-majerus-lived-his-life-to-help-others/article_810ebd3e-7f60-531d-8722-898f6f16cd2b.html

[gep]

I used to follow Rick "back in the day". I remember an incident where he took the team to a fast-food place (MacDonalds? Burger King?) and bought hamburgers for the team. NCAA VIOLATION!!! After that, I knew that he was a good man.

p.s. I also really enjoyed Rick on ESPN... especially with Jay Bilas:cool:

[Billy Dat]

The Majerus tributes have been amazing, CBS' Gary Parrish has a good link list of them for those interested. The Doug Gottlieb one is especially unique as he was recruited by the man:

Parrish's link list
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21238240/wakeup-call-an-outpouring-of-commemoration-for-rick-majerus

Another CBS piece, by Jeff Goodman, includes this anecdote which I never knew
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/21231734/complicated-and-simple-tough-majerus-basketball-lifer-to-the-end


"(Doc) Rivers first met him when he was a sixth-grader at the Marquette basketball camp. He arrived wearing a Dr. J jersey and from that moment on, Majerus gave him the nickname "Doc," which stuck for the rest of his life. "

[Cameron]

The Majerus tributes have been amazing, CBS' Gary Parrish has a good link list of them for those interested. The Doug Gottlieb one is especially unique as he was recruited by the man:

Parrish's link list
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21238240/wakeup-call-an-outpouring-of-commemoration-for-rick-majerus

Another CBS piece, by Jeff Goodman, includes this anecdote which I never knew
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/21231734/complicated-and-simple-tough-majerus-basketball-lifer-to-the-end


"(Doc) Rivers first met him when he was a sixth-grader at the Marquette basketball camp. He arrived wearing a Dr. J jersey and from that moment on, Majerus gave him the nickname "Doc," which stuck for the rest of his life. "

Thanks for posting. That's absolutely fascinating about Doc Rivers. Who would have ever thought that Rick Majerus gave Doc his nickname? Hearing things like that only reaffirms the idea that we really do live in a small world.

I asked this on the old Rick Majerus thread that was brought back from the dead (no pun intended), but clearly since nobody has any interest in opening that thread, I will try to ask it again here. Has anybody ever read My Life On A Napkin? It's a book that I always intended to pick up, but just never got around to it. So this Christmas is it near the top of my list. The price for a new copy isn't cheap either. The book apparently isn't being produced anymore, and new versions are going for upwards of $80 on Amazon. I will try and pick up a used copy.

I can't wait to read more about the coach I admired so very much.

[Billy Dat]

Thanks for posting. That's absolutely fascinating about Doc Rivers. Who would have ever thought that Rick Majerus gave Doc his nickname? Hearing things like that only reaffirms the idea that we really do live in a small world.

I asked this on the old Rick Majerus thread that was brought back from the dead (no pun intended), but clearly since nobody has any interest in opening that thread, I will try to ask it again here. Has anybody ever read My Life On A Napkin? It's a book that I always intended to pick up, but just never got around to it. So this Christmas is it near the top of my list. The price for a new copy isn't cheap either. The book apparently isn't being produced anymore, and new versions are going for upwards of $80 on Amazon. I will try and pick up a used copy.

I can't wait to read more about the coach I admired so very much.

I have not read the book. Maybe his death will prompt a re-release. No need to reprint it these days, right?

Anyway, I never knew much about Majerus' history and a couple of things stand out:
1. I never would have had him pegged as a player considering how obese he became. I would love to see some photos from his playing days.
2. I didn't realize he played for Al McGuire. I can't imagine the stories those two must have about each other. McGuire was an all time character himself. I always like that upon entering any store, he was known to ask, "Do you honor the clergy discount?"

I looked for a K quote on him but haven't found any. I wonder if they were friendly or if he was on the long list of people that Majerus kept at arms length. They are the same age so they must have been around each other all these years.

[Cameron]

I looked for a K quote on him but haven't found any. I wonder if they were friendly or if he was on the long list of people that Majerus kept at arms length. They are the same age so they must have been around each other all these years.

This photograph, captured during Saint Louis' trip to Durham in December 2010, doesn't prove K and Majerus had a friendly relationship, but it does reveal two legends doing their thing inside the greatest college basketball arena in the United States. I'm glad Cameron had a chance to host the fabled coach before he died. (Sorry for the large attachment displaying below. Not sure why it is doing that.)

http://wwwcache.wralsportsfan.com/asset/colleges/duke/2010/12/11/8763813/3fpz1x5317-576x384.jpg

[Billy Dat]

This photograph, captured during Saint Louis' trip to Durham in December 2010, doesn't prove K and Majerus had a friendly relationship, but it does reveal two legends doing their thing inside the greatest college basketball arena in the United States. I'm glad Cameron had a chance to host the fabled coach before he died. (Sorry for the large attachment displaying below. Not sure why it is doing that.)

http://wwwcache.wralsportsfan.com/asset/colleges/duke/2010/12/11/8763813/3fpz1x5317-576x384.jpg

Cameron - good call that Majerus came to Cameron - I went to GoDuke.com looking for post-game quotes but that was the day K' daughter had a health issue and he left CIS quickly to see what was happening - Chris Collins did the post game presser.

[throatybeard]

NYT obit:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/01/sports/ncaabasketball/ap-bkc-obit-majerus.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

[Billy Dat]

Great CBSSports.com College Hoops Podcast featuring Doug Gottlieb talking about Majerus (if you read his online tribute, this is a good companion piece that goes longer and deeper. The rest of the pod is interesting as he comments very frankly about UCLA, and spend 6 solid minutes discussing Duke, including some very candid observations based on discussions with staff members. I know Gottlieb is polarizing but the Duke stuff, from 39:45 - 45:45 is excellent and quite optimistic.

You can get it here or on iTunes
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21239018/podcast-doug-gottlieb-shares-his-best-majerus-stories

[throatybeard]

George Karl on Majerus.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8707384/denver-nuggets-coach-george-karl-hit-hard-rick-majerus-death

[burnspbesq]

Utah is going to hang one of Majerus' white sweaters in the rafters at the Huntsman Center.

Hard to imagine a more fitting tribute.

[BD80]

Utah is going to hang one of Majerus' white sweaters in the rafters at the Huntsman Center. ...

Its bigger than any banner previously raised there.

Its darn near as big as the helms banner hanging in the dean dome.