facebook-pixel

Former Utah coach Rick Majerus is selected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

(Steve Griffin  |  Tribune file photo)  Coaching in his first Final Four, Utah head coach Rick Majerus watches his team play the 1998 championship game against Kentucky at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Coaching in his first Final Four, Utah head coach Rick Majerus watches his team play the 1998 championship game against Kentucky at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Rick Majerus, who coached Utah to the 1998 NCAA championship game, will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November.

Majerus will join former coaches Homer Drew and Lute Olson and six players in the Class of 2019, announced Tuesday.

Majerus, who died in 2012 at age 64, posted a 323-95 record as Utah's coach from 1989-2004. He previously worked at Marquette and Ball State and concluded his career at Saint Louis, posting a total of 517 victories.

He's remembered at Utah for his teams' 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including four trips to the Sweet 16, one to the Elite Eight and one to the title game, a loss to Kentucky.

The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame was founded in Kansas City, Mo., in 2006 as a complement to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The charter class of members included Kresimir Cosic of BYU and Dixie High School's John “Cat” Thompson, a four-time All-American at Montana State, along with coaches Jack Gardner of Utah and Stan Watts of BYU. Utah player Arnie Ferrin was inducted in 2008.

The coaches are joining Majerus in the Class of 2019 are Drew, best known for his Valparaiso tenure, and Olson, whose career was spent mostly at Arizona. The players include Calbert Chaney of Indiana, Shane Battier of Duke, Terry Dischinger of Purdue, Ernie DiGregorio of Providence, Larry Johnson of UNLV and Todd Lichti of Stanford.

Chaney briefly played for the Jazz. Four other former Jazz players have been honored: Pete Maravich (LSU), Darrell Griffith (Louisville), Danny Manning (Kansas) and John Stockton (Gonzaga). Utah Stars center Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View A&M) also was inducted.

Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.