By Dana O'Neil | ESPN.com
Rick Majerus has been gone for nearly a year, but the former Utah and Saint Louis coach continues to make an impact.
The Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) in Salt Lake City announced Wednesday that the Majerus Family Foundation will make a $2 million gift toward construction of a new Primary Children's and Families' Cancer Research Center.
Construction on the 220,000-square-foot expansion is expected to begin in 2014 and will double HCI's research capacity.
Majerus, who was Utah's coach from 1989 to 2004, was a founding member of the institute in 1995 and made frequent donations. The foundation was established prior to his death on Dec. 1, 2012.
"Rick and I were like brothers," HCI founder and principal benefactor Jon M. Huntsman said in a statement. "He was always a guiding light in building the Cancer Institute and never missed an opportunity to bring the University of Utah basketball team over to our research center or hospital to cheer on our progress and herald the progress we made."
