The passing of former Saint Louis University coach Rick Majerus is obviously a sad one.
It is one that has a variety of well wishers speaking about their personal relation they had conjured up with the departed. I had one that did not get off to the best of starts upon his arrival. It was a column that I had written in the St. Louis American that he was not happy with. I felt that he was out of line in his treatment to some people on and off campus and he did not like it one bit.
After an invitation by SLU Athletic Director Chris May to talk about things out with Coach Majerus, it did not take long before he and I exchanged some choice words where we were one more choice word from throwing down. Much to chagrin of my esteemed colleague Earl Austin Jr. and SLU then-Sports Information Director Chuck Yuang and Chris May who I had not met until that blessed moment, our conversation got quite heated..Yeah, we were ready to go and we would have if not for cooler heads. I’m glad there were cooler heads on hand. We realized we wanted to see the same thing and it was watching Billiken basketball be better than what it was. Everything else was elementary.
Rick Majerus was an interesting sort of chap. He would try someone for size and once he knew who would stand up to him, disagree with respect and have something to talk about other than basketball, he was a good person. He could bully those who he thought could not take it whereas that person would look elsewhere for a team to root for or a place to work.
He, like me could find some things whereas he could not get out of his own way in how he dealt with people. But, after getting to know him better I thought he meant well. You have probably heard all the stories by others who knew him that everything evolved around a good meal. The man could go. After our near set to, I got a call out of the blue and it was him inviting me to breakfast. Just he and I and that was the start of something.
I have had few two and a half hour breakfast times but never with another man. In that time, our prior meeting was never never brought up. Instead we covered family, the NBA, politics, and life and all the people we had in common. I was even invited to his practices which was a no-no to media members at the time including his own broadcasters. That, I never understood, but it was his team and he could do what he wanted to.
Over time we would both reach out to each other and talk about a myriad of things including his team and his kids. Yes, his kids. I have been around a lot of coaches in my life and Rick Majerus is in the same category former SLU coach Rich Grawer when it came to caring. He was in the same category as Bob Knight, John Thompson and Gary Pinkel when it came to making sure his kids graduated. That means a lot to me as I have seen too many get used up over the years with nothing to show for.
I respected Rick Majerus because he knew the importance of an education. He knew it meant even more to African American kids who may have come from a challenged environment where it may have been their only way out. I am of the belief that Majerus got more out of watching a kid graduate for college than be drafted in the NBA as there were more graduates than ballers.
While Rick Majerus and I differed on how some things should be handled but his way was not always right nor was mine. We could find middle ground and the rest would take care of itself. I will not to profess to say I was a great friend of Rick Majerus but I was a great fan of his basketball mind. Few were better. I did get along with him better in the end than I did at the beginning.
In my last conversation with him after the NCAA tournament, I congratulated him on the great season he and his team had. He was really proud of this bunch and he expressed that. His last words to me were “Hey Mike, we have come a long way since our first lunch.” I chuckled and told him that may be an understatement. He got a kick out that and that is where we shall leave it forever as we both got something out of the relationship. I guess I am better off for it.
Rest in peace coach.
