Coach

Here's a read on an old boss of mine, Majerus.

For those of you that don't know - this guy was how Mike and I met each other - I was working, he was playing bball for him.

And, while I can't comment on any of the crazy practice stuff (Coach actually didn't allow his secretaries into practice), I do have to say he really is the most oddly genuine, smart and unique person I've ever come in contact with. His nonstop commentary sometimes made you really wonder how someone could actually say what he said outloud, but after the shock wore off, you realized he was just a guy that genuinely cared about you. Like when I was getting married, and he was worried that I might be "too young" and "not experienced enough in the life of being single" (in other words, that I was mormon and hadn't tasted a lick of alcohol) or I still remember my last day when he gave me a bear hug, and told me to make family a priority and said "you're fit, you're young, you should just have lots of babies" (never hiding that he'd wished he could have had kids of his own).

Drives to the airport were the best. To maximize time, he'd drive, talk on the phone (usually an interview), eat and manage to tell you in detail about a movie he saw the other night while you were jotting down notes of what he needed you to get done back at the office (of course, you were smashing your feet to the floor of the car for fear of your life as he went 80mph down 5th south).

He taught me more about writing than I learned in all my traditional schooling combined. He's the guy that when I was graduating from college, told me that I needed to move onto a career and directed me into advertising (a profession that I hadn't really considered, but ended up loving). He got me to eat my first bratwurst (flown in from Wisconsin). And, he's the guy, that anytime I went on vacation, would make sure we sat down first so that he could list off all of the best places to go eat in that city (and more often than not, was sure to give me some cash to make sure I really ate there!).

While the most in touch we keep with him is a once-a-year card, this article reminded me of the times I got to hang with Coach, and see the side of him that the basketball world sometimes misses. He is what he is, no secrets about him, and I'm really glad I was able to get to know him.