Marquette honors Majerus at game against Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE -- Hours after Rick Majerus was laid to rest, his alma mater and former team honored the late basketball coach.

Marquette University, where Majerus was a student and basketball player and later an assistant coach and head coach, paid its respect to their former coach during their home game against Wisconisn.

“I think he would have wanted it that way," Mike Broeker, MU's deputy athletic director said. “You know it’s kind of fitting for the man. Basketball was such a big part of his life.”

Before the tip off, a moment of silence was given in Majerus's honor.

“You see the moment of silence at a lot of sporting events but it means a lot here because with the loss of Rick Majerus there’s going to be more silence in college basketball, more silence in NBA basketball," Jim McIlvaine a former Marquette basketball player and current broadcaster said.

Majerus was known by his casual attire on the bench when he coached, most of the time wearing sweaters. So McIlvaine and current head coach Buzz Williams showed their respect by wearing casual clothes Saturday as well.

“You might see the coaches wearing outfits to kind of show their tributes to him. I’m wearing my collarless shirt because that’s what Rick would wear if he was doing radio," McIlvaine said.

The coaching staff and MU personnel wore black ribbon pins and the team has a patch on their jerseys also to honor Majerus.

Tom Schoenauer, a friend of Majerus's, remembers the coach running down his street and stopping by his home.

“He would run and then he would come in and have orange juice at our house," Schoenauer said. "And I told Rick, I said, if you ever have a heart attack I’m not giving you mouth to mouth. Anyway, he’s a very generous man.”

Many of the people Majerus touched have similar stories about their interactions with him.

After playing and coaching at Marquette, Majerus went on to Ball State University, Utah University and St. Louis University where he coached his final game last season in the NCAA Tournament.

The game fittingly was won by Marquette on Saturday, something the coach would have most likely been very proud of.