KANSAS CITY — Former Utah basketball coach Rick Majerus will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday as part of the 2019 class along with two other coaches and six players.
Majerus, who passed away on Dec. 2, 2012, won a total of 517 games with just one losing season in 25 years as a head coach. He reached the postseason 17 times (13 at Utah), including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances (11 at Utah). He won 10 conference titles in 13 years at Utah, and took the Runnin’ Utes to the Sweet 16 in 1991 and 1996, and the Elite Eight in 1997 and the national championship game in 1998.
The announcement of the Hall of Fame class came in April. Others joining Majerus in the 2019 class are coaches Homer Drew and Lute Olson. Players being inducted include Indiana’s Calbert Cheaney, Duke’s Shane Battier, Purdue’s Terry Dischinger, Providence’s Ernie DiGregorio, UNLV’s Larry Johnson and Stanford’s Todd Lichti.
“During his time here at Utah, coach Majerus was simply one of the best coaches if not the best coach in the country,” said former Utah athletics director Dr. Chris Hill, who hired Majerus in 1989. “We are thrilled that he is receiving this tremendous honor. When you look back at the ‘Majerus Era’ it is so amazing what he and his teams accomplished.”
The induction ceremony is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. (MT) and can be seen through a livestream on both Twitter and Facebook.