COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1995-96 : They Eat Him Up : Majerus Is a Big Man in Salt Lake City, and Not Only Because He Has a Top-10 Team

They surround him the instant he finishes speaking, each hoping for a little private time with the engaging big guy. Two hours with the group isn’t enough. It never is.

They always want more, so he gives. Another anecdote or one-liner--whatever it takes to send them home happy.

Rick Majerus, Utah basketball coach and icon, can’t say no. Only a few hours ago, he talked about being overextended, and now he’s holding court after a booster dinner.

The crowd grows quickly, so Majerus invites everyone out. Anything less wouldn’t be polite. The show is repeated nightly--only the names and places change.

“Yeah, I’ve gotten involved in way too many things, way too much public speaking,” he said. “But you know what? These people are so kind. This is a wonderful community, and I love it.”

What’s not to love? The affable, rotund Majerus begins his seventh season in scenic Salt Lake City with a team that’s loaded and a program on the rise. He’s wealthy, witty, admired in the community and revered by his peers. His formula? It’s simple and has taken him far: basketball, fun and food.

“Basketball has given me a lot,” said Majerus, whose eighth-ranked team plays at second-ranked Kansas in a season opener today. “I love teaching the game, I love the challenge of the game. I guess you can say basketball is my life.”

This isn’t another empty coaching cliche. Good or bad, Majerus is as close as it gets to being consumed by hoops.

It isn’t unusual for Majerus to study tapes far into the morning, once his entourage goes home. But many of his colleagues do the same. What separates him from the pack is his intensity and knowledge.

“He’s an encyclopedia of basketball,” said Laker Coach Del Harris, one of Majerus’ closest friends.

“He’s a sponge for the game. He always tries to pick up new things, and that’s why he’s won big everywhere he’s been.”

Utah was 28-6 last season and won its third Western Athletic Conference title in Majerus’ tenure. He was selected WAC coach of the year for the third time and boosted his record at Utah to 124-44 (.738). His overall record is 224-96 (.700) in 11 seasons, including stops at Marquette and Ball State.

The Utes have size, depth and skill. They are led by star forward Keith Van Horn and standout guard Brandon Jessie. Jessie has been suspended for the Utes’ first seven games by the NCAA because of his relationship with sports agent Robert Caron.

“He’s going to be mad I said this, but I think his program is right there with the North Carolinas, the UCLAs and the Dukes,” said Seattle SuperSonic Coach George Karl, another of Majerus’ buddies.

“Rick has one of the best situations in the game. He’s got a top-10 program and, with one or two great recruits a year, he can keep it going for a long time.”

New York Knick Coach Don Nelson hired Majerus as an assistant in 1986 when Nelson was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Majerus also assisted Nelson on Dream Team II. Nelson said Majerus’ success is easily explained.

“There isn’t anything he doesn’t bring to the party,” Nelson said. “He has everything going for him. He’s a great recruiter, a great teacher during games and a great practice coach. And his work ethic is second to no one I’ve ever met.”

His approach isn’t new. Former Marquette Coach Al McGuire noticed the passion when he hired Majerus as an assistant in 1971.

“Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, if you want Rick to smile, talk basketball,” McGuire said. “He is outstanding. Whatever he gets he deserves because he has definitely paid the price.”

Majerus, 47, is divorced and doesn’t have children. Not surprisingly, the time he gives the game hurt his marriage. He has lived in the University Park Hotel here since he was hired in 1989.

But Majerus has interests other than basketball. He’s a voracious reader and a student of history. He quotes authors and world leaders while analyzing defenses. His passion for basketball is almost matched by his love for the theater and movies.

Still, that doesn’t replace family.

“I guess it’s kind of sad [not having kids], but I’ve got a great life,” Majerus said. “I’ve traveled all over the world--I’ve been to every continent at least twice. I can’t complain.”

In fact, he does the opposite, constantly jabbing himself with his self-deprecating humor.

“I wish I had some kids, but my sperm count is low and my cholesterol is high,” Majerus said. “Besides, you’ve got to find a girl to have kids. Hey, if I could incubate one myself I’d have one.

“My problem is that I live like that guy on ‘The Odd Couple,’ and it isn’t the neat guy. I go into my room and I find pieces of pizza underneath laundry.”

Don’t be fooled, though. Majerus is no joke.

“We need more coaches like Rick,” Karl said. “Too many of us take this game too seriously.

“But don’t get me wrong. Rick is a naturally funny guy and he pokes a lot of fun at himself, but anyone who watches him coach knows he knows what he’s doing.”

Van Horn has watched Majerus’ act for two seasons. He said it changes based on the audience.

“There’s definitely two images,” Van Horn said. “He’s portrayed one way in the media, but it’s not like that all the time.

“People in the community understand he’s an intense guy. He’ll crack an occasional joke in practice, but he’s usually pretty serious.”

Majerus won’t wisecrack about much besides himself these days. It’s a little too dangerous.

“A couple of years ago, he said we looked like the ski team,” Ute assistant coach Donny Daniels said. “He didn’t mean anything by it. It was just Rick being funny.

“People came up to me and asked, ‘Hey, man, what did he mean by that ?’ The problem is people take themselves too seriously in a lot of circumstances. He’s the first guy to make fun of himself, but not anyone else.”

Majerus’ best material comes from his weight.

“Some guys smoke, some guys drink, some guys chase women--I’m a big barbecue sauce guy,” Majerus said.

But the subject really isn’t funny. Majerus carries more than 270 pounds on a 6-foot frame. He underwent quadruple-bypass surgery six years ago and still struggles to stay under 300.

“I need another piece of cake like I need another injury on my team,” he said. “But the truth is, I’m really not that sensitive about my weight. I kind of laugh at it.

“I do kind of have a hard time telling my team to get in shape. It’s indicative of a lack of self-restraint, a lack of self-discipline, no question about it.”

Majerus tries to control himself, but the life makes it so hard. Discussing each night’s game while eating good food with good friends is his greatest joy. It doesn’t take long for the pounds to pile on.

“I know all the best places in L.A.,” Majerus said. “I enjoy nothing more than calling Del up and going out to a great restaurant.

“We’ll eat and make fun of certain things. Maybe we’ll pull out the X’s and O’s and talk the rumors. That’s what I like to do.”

For what it’s worth, Majerus exercises daily. He runs at least four miles and sometimes works out in the gym as well. He ran a marathon in San Antonio in 1990, the year after his heart surgery, while visiting point guard Mark Rydalch, who was on a Mormon mission.

“And he lived through it,” Rydalch said. “That’s the amazing thing.”

Majerus is close to his players. He tries to make their college experience better rounded than most probably want.

“Rick Majerus is something special that university has,” Utah Jazz President Frank Layden said. “There is not a subject he doesn’t know something about. He’s an example to his players about being well rounded. Rick Majerus might very well be the best teacher at that school.”

Majerus won’t quite go that far. But he does feel he makes a difference.

He takes his teams horseback riding, snorkeling and snowmobiling. There are trips to the theater, and Majerus encourages players to read books he picks out for them.

“I wish I could go back to being an assistant so I could just be buddies with them,” he said. “I probably enjoy them a little more when they graduate, but I’m so busy with the next group and then they have families of their own.”

Harris said it’s easy to follow Majerus.

“He’s a big, lovable teddy bear,” Harris said. “He will do almost anything to help his friends. And in being this lovable teddy bear, he gives so much. He’s such a giver, so people want to give back to him.”

But he has his rules. If you want to play for Majerus, lose the earring.

“I’d wear a T-shirt and [sweat suit] to games if I had my druthers, but I can’t do that,” Majerus said. “You’ve got to sort of play the game a little bit.

“You can modify it a little bit, but you have to understand it. I guess my time is passing on that, but that’s the way I feel.”

He feels even stronger about academics. Seventeen of 21 players who became seniors at Utah under Majerus received degrees.

Of all his accomplishments, Majerus is proudest that nine players made the academic honor roll during the spring quarter last year. Each had a GPA higher than 3.1.

“I tell every parent of every kid we’re recruiting, ‘Here’s the phone number of every parent of every kid on my team. Call whomever you want.’

“They might say I’m a little vulgar, I’m profane, and I’m a god-awful dresser. But there isn’t a parent who will say their son’s education wasn’t put above all else. There isn’t a parent I ever have to lower my eyes to.”

The players said Majerus’ commitment is real.

“He really does care about the players,” Rydalch said. “He talks all the time about getting our degrees. There are a lot of coaches who blow smoke, but he means it.

“If you give everything you have out on the floor and in the classroom, he’ll do anything for you, as far as helping you after basketball. Not just the stars, but the last guy on the bench too.”

You get the feeling that Salt Lake City isn’t big enough for Majerus. You wonder what he could accomplish, and how his popularity might soar, if he moved the show to Chicago, New York or Los Angeles. Or what about the NBA?

“He’s had his opportunities to get back [in the NBA], and he could [be a head coach] if he ever wants to,” Harris said. “The ideal college coach helps people and influences lives, and Rick does that.”

So, Majerus is where he wants to be. His players are growing, the food is good and the conversation great. Who needs more?