Wes Hodkiewicz @WesHod
Lots of sadness today across all sports but even more so with the death of Rick Majerus, who always made time to take calls from the P-G
Damn. Always was a Warrior.
Wow. RIP
RIP, Rick. His last two years at MU were my first two. I interacted with him a couple of times, which was beyond cool to the college freshman me. God's blessings upon you.
RIP Rick. Thank you for all the laughs.
Basketball lifer. Won everywhere he coached in college. Very sad to hear
this news.
Al, Hank, Rick...so many memories! A true Warrior.
ESPN just had it on screen. 64 years old.
With his education background...one of the best teachers ever. Certain HOF. The guy could break down every play in perfect detail. Made winners out of every team he coached...mostly way overachieving. Second most career wins of any coach at Marquette next to Hank. RIP
RIP
RIP coach
The stuff legends are made of.
A very, very nice man who probably wasn't ready for the MU job when he took it but went on to become of the game's best college coaches. RIP
I am bummed out, a sad day indeed. RIP coach.
Awesome basketball mind. RIP Coach Majerus.
"Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war."
- Al McGuire
RIP old friend. Broken heart.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/01/17/majerus/index.html
Perhaps the epitome of MU basketball. A native, alum, and coach.
Quote from: LittleMurs on December 01, 2012, 08:46:41 PM
"Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war."
- Al McGuire
you said it.
Franchilla's comments on the passing of Majerus
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8700072/rick-majerus-college-basketball-coach-dies-64
Quote from: We R Final Four on December 01, 2012, 08:59:20 PM
A month ago you called Rick a huge assh*le.
STOP IT!
We're all going to die, every one of us. Does that mean things said about people when they are living should never be said? There has been enough calling of many people here that and worse over the years...you can play that game forever.
RIP Rick.
RIP coach. Now you can join your parents.
One of Marquette's graduates and a great supporter of the principals of the school has traveled to another place. Always a big man; who cared for his friends and players. Believed that feeding his players wasn't a violation of the NCAA rules but rather a requirement to his religion.
A 1968/69/70 playground teammate of mine during the Tosa summer league that included future NBA All Stars. The start of his coaching tenure that consisted of Freddie Brown, Jeff Webb, Johnny Johnson and other NBA drafted players. Set the best pick of anyone I knew. He had the body of a football guard and a basketball IQ that would become legendary. He took what Hank and Al knew and advanced it to a new level from St. Sebstian Grade School, Marquette High, MU, Ball State, tah and finally St. Louis.
He was responsible for the opportunity for me to go to MUand play there. Thanks Rick and hopefully we will meet again and I'll bring the butter burgers. The game has lost a treasure; but his philosophy and ideas will stay in the game forever.
Number 31
I've had the fortune to share many meals with Rick in the past 8 years. Many times he'd order nothing more than a salad, but he loved the idea of sharing. He was incredibly well read; he was curious and an intellectual. In many ways he was a renaissance man. There'd be meals where we'd never know he coached "ball" and there were meals where he'd be talking 100% about juco talent in Georgia or big men in china (usually at Jings). I got to see first hand the incredible respect Kwamain Mitchell had for him. Kwamain revered him. Rick was a special guy, RIP.
An MU legend joins the stars in heaven.
These always make me laugh:
To Jay Bilas, wearing a polo shirt rather than the traditional Hawaiian shirt while covering a tournament in Hawaii...
"Jay, only a guy who gets out of the shower to take a piss would wear a shirt like that."
"I'm not a big Gay guy."
"In the late 1990s with Utah, we were in a regional, and coach [Al] McGuire was there and I asked him to talk to my team. He talked to them and then asked for any questions. Someone said to him, "How good was coach as a player?'' He said, "Let me explain something to you, 'We had an Indian mascot named Willie Wampum when coach played. I would have put the mascot before I put coach in the game."
RIP, Coach Majerus.
And to all of you, read MY LIFE ON A NAPKIN. Great, easy read.
It really is amazing to hear what the greats of the game are saying about Rick. He really is a Milwaukee original and guys like Golden Goose know better than anyone. I really appreciated hearing #31 thoughts on the man.
For us younger guys i take it #31 is Doc. Pretty cool to hear his thoughts tonight.
Golden goose is an Al player that was a local Milwaukee kid. He wore that number quite well and Doc and Bo both would be proud that real Goose wore this jersey. All I can say is he was as original as Al and Rick, maybe even more original
LA Times article by Bill Dwyre, some of you might remember him when he wrote for the Milwaukee papers many years ago
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-1202-dwyre-rick-majerus-20121202,0,1338143.column
The Hawk?
Chico's
Thanks for the link. No doubt Dwyer could write about Rick for many days. It really was a nice article.
Quote from: Stone Cold on December 02, 2012, 12:15:08 AM
For us younger guys i take it #31 is Doc. Pretty cool to hear his thoughts tonight.
It's Gary Brell. An archtypical Al player. Solid talent but a scrapper full of piss and vinegar. After MU he went up to Alaska to work on the pipeline. Gotta love such a free spirit. I'm sure Al, Hank and Rick did.
(http://wiki.muscoop.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/men_s_basketball/gary_brell.jpg)
Yes, Brell sported a WAfro
Remember some hoops at the Old Gym with Rick. He could move pretty well for a, um, guy who wasn't slim. Rest in peace, big guy.
St Louis Dispatch article
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/majerus-dies-coach-had-one-of-a-kind-legacy/article_88e103ab-425d-5f67-b824-dd0f44400579.html
Just listened to Digger on ESPN on Rick. Gave Rick his due credit for being Al's X and O's guy. Nice comments by digger.
Chicago trib article
http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/438/article/p2p-73534220/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/andy_glockner/12/01/rick-majerus-dies-heart-failure/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a0
Glockner from SI weighs in.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8700072/rick-majerus-college-basketball-coach-dies-64
ESPN has a few articles.
I met Rick when I was a reporter for the MU Trib in the late-70s and he was the top assistant. I got to know him quite well. I took his Philosophy of Coaching class -- to this day I'm sure he didn't give me an A because he didn't want to be accused of favoritism. Covered many games he coached at his various college stops. One of the great storytellers, a gift he shared with Al. He was a bit of a bully as a coach but most of his players went on to appreciate and love him.
An original, a brilliant mind, and a true "character." He will be missed.
Skip to the 6:20 mark of this post game pressed last year. They ask a SLU player what Majerus means to the team. Unbelievably emotional stuff.
http://www.ncaa.com/video#!basketball-men/2012-03-18/third-round-saint-louis-post
MU82
I was in the same class with Rick. Not sure about year but was probably '82 or 83. Also had him for a coaching basketball class.
Devotion to Mother, hoops, Milwaukee, God (in his own way), food (ending with a vowel), good stories (with profanity or not)--not sure of the order here--but these are some of the virtues of Coach Rick.
You are missed, pal. Black arm bands are appropriate for four college teams and one pro.
And 31 was in a couple of those games also.
I did not know Coach personally, but I feel as if I've lost a friend.
He gave a (free) talk in Indy awhile back one time Indy hosted the Final 4. My dad went and asked him to sign the copy of his daughter's book. He wrote me a nice note on the inside cover of my book.
I am impressed by the many tributes written about him by sports writers across the country, many of whom considered Coach a good friend. Andy Katz has an especially nice article about him.
Hope you're enjoying your time up there with Hank, Al, and your mom, Coach.
Quote from: Goose on December 02, 2012, 01:01:07 AM
Chico's
Thanks for the link. No doubt Dwyer could write about Rick for many days. It really was a nice article.
Dwyre sticks in a MU or Milwaukee comment in seems 5 to 10 times a year. He definitely fondly remembers both and has no problem mentioning them in his articles for the Times.
Didn't realize Majerus was the one who gave Buzz his name:
http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120212aaa.html
Quote from: TallTitan34 on December 02, 2012, 12:54:04 PM
Didn't realize Majerus was the one who gave Buzz his name:
http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120212aaa.html
The quotes are reversed. Rick gave Doc his nickname....
Quote from: tower912 on December 02, 2012, 08:01:32 AM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/andy_glockner/12/01/rick-majerus-dies-heart-failure/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a0
Glockner from SI weighs in.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8700072/rick-majerus-college-basketball-coach-dies-64
ESPN has a few articles.
Majerus was a complex human being. Like most coaches I have worked for or met (I never worked for Rick), he was tough to play for and work for. Many couldn't handle it. Most that did, loved him for it.
A good, long article that gets into the complexities of his philosophy and why he was not the easiest guy to be around. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1109102/index.htm?eref=sisf (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1109102/index.htm?eref=sisf) For those that survived, most feel they are exceptionally better for it.
Quote from: TallTitan34 on December 02, 2012, 12:54:04 PM
Didn't realize Majerus was the one who gave Buzz his name:
http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120212aaa.html
Lewis Orr gave him his nickname at Navarro College. http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/ncaa-tournament-sweet-16-family-comes-first-for-marquette-coach-buzz-williams-032112 (http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/ncaa-tournament-sweet-16-family-comes-first-for-marquette-coach-buzz-williams-032112)
Majerus gave Doc his nickname
Quote from: Nukem2 on December 02, 2012, 12:58:53 PM
The quotes are reversed. Rick gave Doc his nickname....
That makes sense. I knew he named Doc. Was hoping he gave multiple MU guys their nickname.
Al said Rick knew more about basketball than anyone else, one time. Very sad to see Coach Rick pass away and at so young an age. Prayers going up nor for him and his family and all who will dearly miss him.
Quote from: PuertoRicanNightmare on December 02, 2012, 09:15:11 AM
Skip to the 6:20 mark of this post game pressed last year. They ask a SLU player what Majerus means to the team. Unbelievably emotional stuff.
http://www.ncaa.com/video#!basketball-men/2012-03-18/third-round-saint-louis-post
Big time, didn't know too much about him besides the Utes days but I'd say he left quite a mark with all the stories I've seen today...RIP Coach Rick
Quote from: Goose on December 02, 2012, 09:39:42 AM
MU82
I was in the same class with Rick. Not sure about year but was probably '82 or 83. Also had him for a coaching basketball class.
My future wife took the class in 82 or 83, too. She got a higher grade than I did ... he always graded the girls easier!
One other thing I really respected about Rick was that he was his own man on social issues such as contraceptives and a woman's choice, and he wasn't afraid to voice his opinions even though he knew he might get in hot water with the Catholic honchos.
MU 82
Rick gave me my only two A's at MU. He knew I needed the grades and took care of me. Much appreciated and made my Mom awfully happy I graduated because of his classes.
I wasn't aware the coaches taught classes. Was this just Majerus? I can't imagine Mike Deane would have had a class before noon. He was a man who relished his nocturnal adventures.
(http://www.visualnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thor.jpg)
A couple roommates of mine went to a Brewers game and saw Rick sitting in their section (kind of behind homeplate, diamond box area). They went down to say hi and get a picture. They say he was nice but didn't bother to stop eating. The picture of the three of them is hilarious, two college dudes and Rick Majerus with a kind of silly look on his face, two brats in hand.
Quote from: Parsighian on December 03, 2012, 12:45:23 AM
I wasn't aware the coaches taught classes. Was this just Majerus? I can't imagine Mike Deane would have had a class before noon. He was a man who relished his nocturnal adventures.
(http://www.visualnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thor.jpg)
In the "olden days," coaches -- especially assistants -- weren't paid a king's ransom. They picked up extra bucks by teaching the kind of classes Majerus did. I know Bobby Knight taught for several years at Indiana, too.
I know it's Badger hate week and all that, but a pretty nice gesture by the mods over at Buckyville
http://buckyville.yuku.com/forums/3/Badger-Basketball-Board/Badger-Basketball-Board#.UL2ob4ZQS19
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w31/southfew/photo-13.jpg)
Great shot of the three-headed monster that terrorized UW and produced one of the finest records in hoops during the 70s including two final fours and a National Championship. Classy move by UW folks to post it.
One of Rick's first jobs was to coach the frosh at Marquette High in 1970. This class turned into the State Champs. MU's Gary Rosenberger and Bill Neary of the 77 NCAA Championship Team were from this group, too. And so was Jeff Jonas, a star at Utah who I believe had something to do with eventually luring Rick out there. Yeah, Rick's mark was felt in many ways and it touched a lot of us from both Marquettes.