College Basketball Coach. Rick Majerus was a highly successful college basketball coach who led five different Division I basketball programs during a 25-year career. He began his head coaching career at Marquette University, where he remained for three years (1983-1986). He then spent three years at Ball State University (1987-1989), fifteen years at the University of Utah (1989-2004) and five years at Saint Louis University (2007-2012). His most successful season as a college head coach was with Utah during the 1997-1998 season, where he guided the Utes to the NCAA National Championship game, ultimately losing to Kentucky in the title game - a loss Majerus termed as "the most devastating" of his career. Majerus graduated from Marquette University High School in 1966, and then attended Marquette University where he graduated in 1970. He began his coaching career at St. Sebastian Grade School in Milwaukee, later moving to Marquette University High School. In 1971, Majerus joined Marquette University as an assistant coach under mentor Al McGuire until 1977, then under Hank Raymonds until taking over as Marquette head coach in 1983. Upon leaving Marquette, he served one year as a professional basketball assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association during the 1986-1987 season. Following that season, he returned to college basketball for good in 1987 as head coach of the Ball State University Cardinals. Majerus' coaching achievements include a MAC Regular Season Championship (1989), a MAC Tournament Championship (1989), six WAC Regular Season Championships (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999), three WAC Tournament Championships (1995, 1997 & 1999) and a MWC Regular Season Championship (2003). He was also voted the WAC Coach of the Year five times, winning the award in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997 & 1999. In his 25 years of coaching at the collegiate level, Majerus compiled a 517-215 record, and led his teams to the NCAA tournament 12 times. He died of heart failure.