On April 30, 2007, Rick Majerus was introduced as the 24th head coach of the Billiken basketball program. Without question, Majerus is the most accomplished head coach in the history of the Saint Louis University basketball. When he was announced to a cheering throng at an introductory news conference, the University made a loud and clear statement about its commitment to Billiken basketball. Majerus' reputation as one of the game's keenest minds is supported by a litany of career accomplishments. In 22 years of coaching at the collegiate level, Majerus has amassed a 456-176 career record and has never had a losing season. Majerus' record stands among the elite in college basketball, and his .722 winning percentage is tied for 13th among active coaches. He has taken 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament and four to the NIT. He has reached the 20-win plateau 13 times, including two seasons with 30 wins. Despite his late hiring, Majerus took over an undersized Billiken squad and guided it to a 16-15 record in 2007-08. The Billikens won games with a smothering defense and gave up the fewest points in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Majerus guided the Billikens past nationally ranked Rhode Island as well as NCAA Tournament squad Saint Joseph's. Majerus helped Kevin Lisch earn third-team All-Conference honors, and Lisch and Luke Meyer were the only teammates named to the Academic All-Conference team. In addition, Meyer was one of 10 student-athletes named to the NACDA I-AAA Scholar-Athlete team. In 2008-09, Majerus led the Billikens as they opened a new chapter in SLU basketball with the opening of Chaifetz Arena. His second campaign saw the Billikens improve to 18-14 and helped Chaifetz Arena quickly earn the reputation as one of the finest on-campus basketball facilities in the country. The Billikens picked up a victory in the first round of the 2009 A-10 Tournament before falling to top-seed Xavier. For the second straight season, Majerus guided the Billikens past a nationally ranked opponent as SLU toppled No. 25 Dayton. In addition, Majerus coached the fifth Academic All-American in his career as Kevin Lisch earned third-team honors. Lisch was an honorable mention All-Conference selection, while Kwamain Mitchell was tabbed for the All-Rookie team. During his time at the University of Utah, Majerus led the Utes to 10 NCAA Tournaments and 10 regular-season conference titles. He coached his teams to four Sweet 16 appearances, two Elite Eights and the 1998 national championship game. Utah finished four seasons ranked in the top 10 during his 15-year tenure, including a No. 2 ranking at the end of the 1997-98 season. Majerus led Utah to 10 regular-season conference championships in 13 years, the most of any NCAA Division I program in the nation from 1990-2003. In addition, the Utes were regularly ranked in the top 25. Utah was ranked in the final USA Today/ESPN poll five consecutive years from 1995-1999, including top-10 finishes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls from 1997-1999. Majerus' coaching earned him repeated national recognition. He was selected conference Coach of the Year five times, and he was tabbed the Basketball Times and UPI Coach of the Year in 1991. Majerus was the 1992 and 1998 Playboy Coach of the Year and the John Wooden Coach of the Year in 1998. He was also a seven-time District Coach of the Year. Prior to taking the helm at Utah, Majerus spent two seasons at Ball State, leading the 1988-89 squad to a 29-3 overall record and a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals' victory over Pittsburgh was the first NCAA Tournament win in school history. His two-year stint at Ball State was preceded by a one-year venture into professional basketball as an assistant coach for his home-state Milwaukee Bucks in 1986-87. Under head coach Don Nelson, Majerus helped the Bucks post a 50-32 record and qualify for the NBA playoffs. Majerus accepted his first head coaching job at his alma mater, Marquette University, in 1983-84 after 12 years as an assistant there. In three years as the head coach, he led Marquette to a 56-35 record and three postseason appearances. His best squad at MU was the 1984-85 team that posted a 20-11 record and reached the third round of the NIT. Prior to becoming the head coach at Marquette, Majerus served 12 years as an assistant under legendary coach Al McGuire. Majerus was part of 11 NCAA Tournament appearances highlighted by the NCAA championship run in 1977. Majerus' coaching career humbly began when he was the head coach of the freshman team at Marquette University High School from 1969-1971. Majerus was born to Alyce and Raymond Majerus on Feb., 17, 1948, in Sheboygan, Wis. Seven years later, the family moved to Milwaukee. Majerus graduated from Marquette University High School in 1967. Majerus enrolled at his hometown college, Marquette, and earned a spot on the freshman team. He did not earn a position on head coach Al McGuire's varsity squad, but the moment began Majerus' coaching odyssey. While still a student at Marquette, Majerus earned his first coaching position as an assistant coach at St. Sebastian Junior High School in Milwaukee. That job led to another job at his old high school. After graduating from Marquette in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in history, Majerus was hired by McGuire as a full-time assistant in 1971. After Marquette won the 1977 national championship, McGuire stepped down, and long-time assistant and former Billiken standout Hank Raymonds was named head coach. Majerus was an integral member of Raymonds' staff for six more seasons. In addition to his numerous collegiate coaching accolades, Majerus is well schooled in the international scene. He was an assistant coach on the 1993 Team USA squad and the 1994 Team USA squad known as the "Dream Team II," which claimed the gold medal at the World Championships in Toronto. Standouts he coached on that team included Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. Majerus was also the head coach of the 1997 U-22 World Championship team, which featured another future Billiken head coach, Lorenzo Romar. He is enshrined in the basketball halls of fame in both Utah (2000) and Wisconsin (2001) and was named the Utah Sports Person of the Year in 1991 and 1997. Regarded as one of the finest teachers in the game, Majerus groomed three of his Utah players into first-round NBA draft picks. Keith Van Horn was the No. 2 overall pick in 1997, while Michael Doleac went 12th overall in 1998. Andre Miller became Majerus' third consecutive first-round pick when he was selected eighth in the 1999 draft. In addition, Hanno Mottola was a second-round pick in the 2000 draft, becoming the first Finnish player to be chosen by an NBA team. Josh Grant and Byron Wilson were also second-round draft picks in 1993. As proud as he is of his players on the court, their classroom achievements bring him even more satisfaction. In Majerus' program, academics are the top priority. That approach has led to 44 different players earning academic All-Conference awards. In 2008-09, Kevin Lisch became SLU's first Academic All-American since 1995, and he was the A-10 Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year. In Majerus' first season at Saint Louis, Lisch and Luke Meyer were the only teammates to garner 2007-08 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honors. Majerus has had five players earn Academic All-America honors. Michael Doleac and Drew Hansen were both selected in 1997-98, making Utah the first Final Four team with two Academic All-Americans in its starting lineup. Hansen also won the 1997 Playboy Magazine Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete Award for basketball, was a Rhodes Scholar candidate and was a finalist for the Walter Byers Award, the highest academic award given by the NCAA. In addition to Hansen, Majerus has also coached two other Rhodes Scholar candidates during his career: Marc Marotta at Marquette and Rich Hall at Ball State.
MAJERUS' HEAD COACHING RECORD
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