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My Life on a Napkin: Pillow Mints, Playground Dreams, and Coaching the Runnin' Utes | 
 enlarge | Authors: Rick Majerus, Gene Wojciechowski
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy Used: $0.47
You Save: $22.48 (98%)
New (11) Used (21) Collectible (3) from $0.47
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 1434182
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 247
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 078686527X
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.323092
EAN: 9780786865277
Publication Date: March 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ** Possible marking on cover. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. Delivery is 7-14 days for standard mail. **
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Anyone ready to write off Rick Majerus as the affable fat guy on the sidelines quickly changed their tune last season when Majerus led his Utah team on an extraordinary run to the final game of the NCAA championship. Along the way, Majerus won millions of fans with his wit, candor, and obvious devotion to his players. Now Majerus tells his own story of how a chubby kid from Milwaukee found himself at the Final Four, upsetting office pools all over the country. He talks about how he roughed out his much-discussed plays on a restaurant napkin the night before the Kentucky game.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 hoped for much more September 20, 2007
the rare times rick put down a fork and talked in depth about playing point guard or some other keen insight, the book was marvelous, that happened in maybe 10 pages ... i have read hundreds of sports books and next to vitale's first book, this was probably the worst one i muddled through ... loved rick as a coach--his triangle and two vs zona is legendary--but i would've liked to have heard some of his ex-players discuss what it was like to play for him--word on the street, it was far from a picnic basket ... akin to coach k's books, who saints himself w/o ever revealing his darkside, it's fun to see the real story ...
read dean smith's 'a coach's life,' feinstein's 'a season inside,' 'breaks of the game' by david halberstam, or 'the miracle of st anthonys' if you want to digest great basketball stories ... or the best of them all, pat conroy's MY LOSING SEASON
compared to those, rick's was a lady finger dud
 The world through the eyes of one of college ball's most eccentric coaches. May 14, 2007
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
It's forty-five minutes before the WAC tournament championship game. Majerus has pulled into the parking lot in front of the gym only to discover that some nimrod has parked in his space, a space that costs him $2,000 a year to reserve. What does he do? He parks somewhere else, comes back and lets the air out of two of the guy's tires. When his friend asks him why he only selected two tires, Majerus says, "Because he only had one spare."
Such are the experiences that encompass 'My Life On A Napkin'. We see Majerus for what he is, the world traveling, food connoisseur, who values loyalty, a good massage, and an occasional fantasy involving Cindy Crawford. Covered in his book are some of the following:
* Majerus' discipleship under Al MacGuire while at Marquette, and Don Nelson while with the Golden State Warriors.
* Majerus' quick process of overtaking BYU as the team to beat in the WAC.
* The difficulties of recruiting, particularly in a place like Utah.
* Majerus' propensity for speeding. Upon accelerating to over 100 MPH, Majerus once told a concered friend, "Hey, if we crash, I'm you're airbag."
* His affinity with living in hotels.
* The 1998 NCAA tournament and his famous triangle and two defense that shut down number one seeded Arizona and North Carolina.
Also of note is Majerus' ceaseless wit and humor. A group of cheerleaders once came to do a promotional at Rick's hotel. He told them, "Don't worry if you see me staring at your belly buttons. It's mostly because I haven't seen mine in years."
Majerus shares truth about recruiting, the intense competition between other coaches, and how he took a bunch of non-sensational and mostly mormon kids and came within 5 minutes of being the 1998 national champions.
No coach is as openly eccentric as Majerus, and in 'My Life on a Napkin', you will find out why he is not only revered as a basketball mind, but also as a comedic juggernaut.
 "The only thing bigger than his belly is his heart" April 14, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Far and away the best book I have read in the past year. Coach Majerus' passion for his players will leave you mesmerized. The best part of the book are all the quotes added from former players, friends, coaches, family members,etc...Rick never was much of a great athlete, but he knew the game from an early age and was considered the epitome of a team player. Majerus' stories from his days at Marquette and Ball State to his time with Don Nelson and Del Harris make for a great read. If you like sports and admire the true work of a "team" you will love this book.
Catching a Wonderful Coach at an Opportune Moment February 28, 2001
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Sports books that attempt to cash in on the immediate popularity of the author often suffer in quality due to the desire to strike while the iron is hot. I am glad to say that My Life on a Napkin does not suffer from this flaw. Gene Wojciechowski, contributor on this book, did an extremely good on format and finding and maintaining Majerus' voice. His previous work on Nothing But Net (Bill Walton's autobiography) has served him well. The most interesting technique used in the book is the interjection of short anecdotes culled from Majerus' friends and family. The juxtaposition between his view and the view of his friend/family member/player is humorous at times. This is a technique I haven't seen used before in this type of book and I find that it seems to work better than simple paraphrasing would. In short, the only reason this book doesn't deserve four stars is because it falls far short of the high standards set by autobiographies/biographies of individuals whose careers have already ended. I feel this book focuses too much on the recent to the detriment of the early years. For example, A Coach's Life by Dean Smith has an entirely different perspective because in many ways his story is finished. This allows him to devote equal time to all portions of his life and career. Additionally, it would have been nice to have an appendix containing information on every player who had ever lettered for Coach Majerus. If we could see the tremendous legacy that he has had on the lives of all the students who have passed through his programs it would reinforce hsi commitment to his players' well-being. To me, that would be an even greater testimony to his legacy than the stories presented in the preceding chapters.
Not only is Majerus a great coach, he's hilarious! August 1, 2000
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
After getting this book I could not put it down. I first became aware of Majerus after he led his un-athletic Utah team to the NCAA Final Four in 1998. His press conferences after those games were part basketball pontification and part stand-up comedy routine. His book is a lot like those press conferences: serious about the game he loves, but not afraid to crack a joke at anytime. The stories about his lack of fashion sense and eating habits will leave you doubled over. For "gym rats" everywhere!
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