Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
Rick Majerus
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nine years under Head Coach Rick Majerus has entrenched the University of Utah in the nation's basketball power structure. Majerus, the winningest Utah basketball coach in modern times (210-59, .781 winning percentage), has led the Utes to unprecedented success. That fact was crystallized when Majerus led his 1997-98 Utes to the NCAA "Final Four" where they beat number one ranked North Carolina in the semi-finals to advance to the final game. It was the first time since 1944 a Ute team had made it to an NCAA Championship game. In the 89-year history of Utah basketball, the Utes have never enjoyed a nine-year stretch like the Majerus tenure.
Despite the fact Majerus coached just six games in his first season, due to heart surgery, his clubs have averaged 23 wins per year during that time. His seven postseason appearances (six NCAA) is a school coaching benchmark. Never before has a Ute team advanced to the Sweet 16 four times in a seven-year span. Majerus' teams own six Western Athletic Conference championships, including the last four (this year's was a Mountain Division title)_a feat never before achieved at Utah. In 1996-97, his Utes captured both the Mountain Division crown and the WAC Tournament title. This year, Utah repeated as the WAC Mountain Division champion with a 12-2 record.
Majerus' success goes far beyond the conference level. In six trips to the NCAA as Utah's coach, he has yet to lose a first round game. Utah, Kentucky and Arizona are the only teams to make the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last three years. For the second straight year, Majerus led his team into the Elite Eight. For the last two years, his teams have taken up permanent residence in the Top-10. He coached this year's team to Utah's first Final Four berth in 22 years. Actually, it is his second "Final Four" of some sort at Utah. In 1992, Utah made the Final Four of the National Invitational Tournament. In terms of wins and losses, Majerus has few peers. His .736 winning percentage is 13th among active NCAA coaches and ranks 27th all-time. In 1990-91, Majerus' first full season as Utah's head coach, he simply led the Utes to the best record in school history (30-4). A mark the 1997-98 bunch equaled. Take away his heart surgery shortened debut season and Majerus has averaged 26 wins per season in the last eight years! Majerus' feats have earned him national recognition and respect. The three-time WAC Coach of the Year (1991, '93, '95), was tapped for national honors in 1991 (Basketball Times' and UPI Coach of the Year) and 1992 (Playboy Coach of the Year). He received Playboy National Coach of the Year honors again in 1998. He is also a six-time District Coach of the Year.
In a previous two-year stint with Ball State, Majerus received The Hoop Scoop Coach of the Year honors in 1988-89. Most recently, the WAC media voted him Mountain Division Coach of the Year in 1996-97. He also was voted the John Wooden National Coach of the Year for 1997-98 by the Utah Tip Off Club. Success has followed Majerus at all of his stops. His head coaching career began at Marquette, where he compiled a 56-35 record from 1983-86 and took his teams to three NIT Tournaments. He preceded his Utah tenure with a successful two-year stint at Ball State, where he logged a 43-17 mark, including a 29-3 record and an NCAA 2nd Round berth in 1988-89. He was an accomplished assistant coach before making the jump to the top seat.
In 12 years as an assistant at Marquette (1972-83), Majerus was part of 11 NCAA Tournament teams. Marquette won the NCAA Championship in 1976-77. The veteran coach also spent a year in the National Basketball Association as an assistant to Don Nelson. The Milwaukee Bucks posted a 50-32 record and made the NBA playoffs during Majerus' year on the bench (1986-87). Majerus has an international resume, as well. He served during the summer of 1997 as the head coach of the USA Basketball Men's 22 and under team that will compete in the World Championships this August in Melbourne, Australia. He spent the summer of 1994 as an assistant coach to Don Nelson for the USA "Dream Team 2, which featured the top NBA players in the Men's World Basketball Championships in Toronto. Majerus' reach extends into the classroom.
In his time at Utah, 86 players have made the honor roll, including nine winter quarter and seven spring quarter. Michael Doleac was named to the 1998 GTE Academic All-America first team, while Drew Hansen made the third team. The Utes were the only school with two players on the 1998 GTE Academic All-America squad. 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. The 1997-98 Utes racked up an excellent 3.31 team GPA spring quarter. Born on Feb. 17, 1948, the 50-year-old Majerus is a Sheboygan, Wis., native. He graduated from Marquette in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in history. He received a master's, also from Marquette, in 1979 in guidance and counseling.
The Majerus File Hometown: Sheboygan, Wis. Date of Birth: February 17, 1948 Alma Mater: Marquette Undergraduate Degree: 1970, bachelor's in history (Marquette) Post-graduate Degree: 1979, master's in guidance and counseling (Marquette)Coaching Highlights 1971-83: Assistant Coach, Marquette. Marquette went to 11 NCAA Tournaments and won the 1977 NCAA Championship. 1983-86: Head Coach, Marquette. Took Marquette to three NIT Tournaments. 1986-87: Assistant Coach, Milwaukee Bucks. Went to NBA Playoffs. 1987-89: Head Coach, Ball State. Ball State went 29-3 his second year and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament: 1989-present: Head Coach, Utah. Utah has gone to six NCAA Tournaments under Majerus reaching the NCAA Championship Game in 1998. He has made the "Sweet Sixteen" three times, the "Elite Eight" twice and the "Final Four" once. Utah also owns one NIT "Final Four" appearance and six WAC Championships (1998 was Mountain Division title). Majerus has averaged 23 wins a year. Utah won both the WAC Mountain Division and the WAC Tournament in 1996-97. 1997 (summer): Head coach of USA Basketball Men's 22 and under team.
Honors John Wooden National Coach of the Year (1998) WAC Coach of the Year: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997 (media) District Coach of the Year: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 Playboy Coach of the Year: 1992, 1998 UPI National Coach of the Year: 1991 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year: 1991 Utah Sports Person of the Year: 1992 Member John Wooden Award Board of Governors
Rick'S Record YEAR TEAM RECORD FINISH POSTSEASON 1997-98 Utah 30-4 1st# NCAA Championship Game 1996-97 Utah 28-3 1st# NCAA "Elite Eight" 1995-96 Utah 27-7 1st NCAA "Sweet 16" 1994-95 Utah 28-6 1st NCAA 2nd Round 1993-94 Utah 14-14 5th (tie) 1992-93 Utah 24-7 1st NCAA 2nd Round 1991-92 Utah 24-11 4th NIT "Final Four" 1990-91 Utah 30-4 1st NCAA "Sweet 16" 1989-90 Utah 4-2* 6th (tie) 1988-89 Ball State 29-3 NCAA 2nd Round 1987-88 Ball State 14-14 1985-86 Marquette 19-11 --- NIT 1984-85 Marquette 20-11 --- NIT 1983-84 Marquette 17-13 --- NIT -------------------------------------------------------------------- Utah Total 210-59 (.781), 9 years Career Total 309-111 (.736), 14 years #WAC Mountain Division champion *Majerus missed most of season due to heart surgery
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