LYNDHURST, N.J. – The first move was taking the year off from coaching. Then, retirement was the next step. All the while you hoped for the best and that these moves would improve the situation. Ultimately, they didn’t. As we enter the joys of the holiday season we were saddened to hear of the passing of coach Rick Majerus. More than simply a coach, Majerus was a mentor, friend, source of inspiration and/or comfort… just so much to so many.
The story goes how Majerus tried out for the Marquette team. Coach Al McGuire told him to forget it, there was no talent there to speak of. Majerus cried, then later embarked on a career in coaching. In the realm of basketball lifers, Majerus was the leader, if there was one. The sound of the ball making contact with hardwood or asphalt was like a symphony to him.
He would later coach under McGuire. While Al was a master at feeling the pulse of a game he was bright enough to entrust the X’s and O’s largely to Hank Raymond and a little of everything else, including scouting, to Majerus. Little wonder Marquette ascended to the National Championship in 1977 under the watch of that staff. Ultimately, Rick moved on to become a great head coach in his own right.
Many high profile coaches today pace sidelines in exquisitely tailored expensive suits, not a hair out of place. Majerus was bald, wore glasses and didn’t wear a suit, rather the trademark sweater. He stood or hunched over on the sideline studying action intently. Even his lifestyle differed as he chose to live in a hotel suite rather than purchase a huge residence. “Fresh towels, clean lined and a mint on the pillow each night,” he would say explaining his choice of address. Male no mistake, Majerus could coach with the very best.
His teams were well-drilled and played with a purpose, protecting the ball on offense and getting after it on the defensive end. His game preparation and opposition breakdown were virtually without peer. An observer watching his teams always came away learning something new about the game. A few years ago a friend and basketball junkie, Mike Reilly, was coaching at McNair High School in Jersey City. Reilly, who gets to about 50 college games a year, left his home in Jersey City early one Saturday to get to the Bronx as Saint Louis was visiting Fordham. Always in search of furthering his basketball knowledge, Reilly wanted a seat behind the visitor’s bench. He got it and wasn’t disappointed. Watching and listening to Majerus was like a coaching clinic.
“(Majerus) knew what Fordham would run every time down the floor,” Reilly said. “It was very impressive, he knew Fordham’s sets as well as they did.”
For the record, the visiting Billikens won easily. They came in with more talent than Fordham. No matter. Majerus still went over meticulous pre-game preparation attending to every detail. He prepared for the tent team in a conference the same manner he would get ready for a top ten club in the nation.
Majerus coached on the college level before going to the NBA. In the pros it would be a dream, basketball 24/7. But something was lacking. The campus life was one he loved. The setting was more vibrant to him than that of pro ball. He loved the opportunity to make a difference in a player’s life, and that was more apt to happen at the college level. He soon went back.
His first job after coaching the Milwaukee Bucks was with Ball State. Friends told him in confidence it was professional suicide. All he did was go 43-17 in two years and land a position at Utah. He had a great run with the Utes, leading them to the 1998 championship game. Majeurs later worked as an ESPN studio analyst. It was there he had the classic quote assessing UCONN’s Rudy Gay and his NBA potential, “I’m not a big Gay guy.” Studio life was nice, but Majerus yearned to return to practice and the sidelines. He then accepted the position at Saint Louis University. Gradually he reversed the Billikens’ fortunes, allowing them to move up the Atlantic Ten ladder.
A basketball perfectionist, the stories are circulated how he verbally berated players in practice. His personal idiosyncrasies and habits have been well-documented and exchanged. For each of these there are numerous untold situations how he helped a player or went the extra mile to aid a friend, expecting no retribution in return.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch told the story, every February 17th, Majerus’ birthday, the coach received a phone call. It was Andrea Robinson, the mother of Andre Miller. He starred for Majerus at Utah and has been in the NBA over a dozen years. The call though was not a thank you for getting Andre to the NBA, but guiding him through college and ensuring he received a degree, one Andre Miller cherishes to this day. You could go on with similar stories and anecdotes.
Despite his size, Majerus was willing to poke fun at himself and his devotion toward food. He spoke of enjoying the Maui Classic and beach in general with one problem, “people try to push me back in,” he said. “they think I’m a whale out of water.” Two years ago after covering St. Louis-Fordham at the Izod Center, following formal game interviews Majerus got on a tangent speaking about the recruitment of Andre Miller. “He came from a tough neighborhood in California where bullets often ‘strayed’,” Majerus said. “So the family said let’s do the home visit at Andre’s high school because Rick, you are too big a target.”
A genuine person with a loving heart, this was Majerus. When he brought Utah in for the Pre-season NIT about a decade ago, following a decidedly lopsided loss and after interviews I asked him to autograph his My Life On a Napkin book. Many coaches or authors autograph with a line or two which is fine. Majerus wrote a two page message, treasured to this day.
We are all poorer with his passing. His family, players, coaching friends, fans, followers, the entire Saint Louis University community. This sadness of the holiday season can in truth be salvaged with some joy – the joy of knowing how special Rick Majerus’ life was and how he was there to give to others.
In Divine company with the Lord, one can imagine Majerus reunited with dear friend Al McGuire. The coaching lifer continuing and becoming an “after-lifer”.
