What do you think?
Rate this book
My Life On a Napkin: Pillow Mints, Playground Dreams and Coaching the Runnin' Utes
Majerus tells his own story of how a chubby kid from Sheboygan came to be North Americas best-loved college basketball coach. Filled with wit, candor, insight, and the kind of bold statements that caused Notre Dame to rescind a job offer, My Life on a Napkin delivers what sports fans love good talk, good stories, and good game.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 29, 2023
Rick Majerus‘s auto biography is great for basketball lovers. He presents it straight forward, recounting his life in chronological order in the memories and experiences that he had. Interspersed throughout our quotes from players coaches, family friends from his life related to whatever text is around it. At first I thought this was a little awkward. But as you go on, there’s just so many testimonies about Rick, or the experiences of these people with Rick that it adds depth of the story.
Rick invested a lot into developing players as men. He didn’t just care about their jumpshot. He emphasized academics, and responding to failures and adversity. That is something that’s also highlighted by testimonies from others. It’s one thing to say you care about all those things; it’s another for others to show it’s true.
Ricks tone in this book is very clearly communicated. It feels like you’re listening to him talk. Sometimes he can get a little distracted but for the most part it’s a straightforward presentation of his life. It’s easy to read as if you’re talking with the guy. If you’re a basketball fan this is great. You get to hear behind the scenes stuff. You get to hear basketball strategy. All from a guy who probably seems the most like your average who just loves hoops.
Don’t expect big poetic, profound chapters on lessons from his life. That’s not what this is, and it’s refreshingly down to earth. I love learning lessons from other peoples lives and biographies. And that is still here, just within the story that he’s telling. I certainly left several dog ears in my book of things that I want to come back to, or share with other people.
I give this book at four out of five. For the basketball fan it’s a five. For the non-basketball fan, there’s certainly some parts that are may be a little difficult to follow or understand the importance of. However, I still think it has value for them because Rick speaks holistically of his life and he’s very relatable. Rick, thanks for sharing your life with us.
Rick invested a lot into developing players as men. He didn’t just care about their jumpshot. He emphasized academics, and responding to failures and adversity. That is something that’s also highlighted by testimonies from others. It’s one thing to say you care about all those things; it’s another for others to show it’s true.
Ricks tone in this book is very clearly communicated. It feels like you’re listening to him talk. Sometimes he can get a little distracted but for the most part it’s a straightforward presentation of his life. It’s easy to read as if you’re talking with the guy. If you’re a basketball fan this is great. You get to hear behind the scenes stuff. You get to hear basketball strategy. All from a guy who probably seems the most like your average who just loves hoops.
Don’t expect big poetic, profound chapters on lessons from his life. That’s not what this is, and it’s refreshingly down to earth. I love learning lessons from other peoples lives and biographies. And that is still here, just within the story that he’s telling. I certainly left several dog ears in my book of things that I want to come back to, or share with other people.
I give this book at four out of five. For the basketball fan it’s a five. For the non-basketball fan, there’s certainly some parts that are may be a little difficult to follow or understand the importance of. However, I still think it has value for them because Rick speaks holistically of his life and he’s very relatable. Rick, thanks for sharing your life with us.
April 11, 2018
Pretty great book for Majerus fans. Got a bit repetitive at times but I loved reading all the behind the scenes stories of his players and fellow coaches. Loved reading about his thoughts on the game and how he came up with his gameplans. Was surprised how much he talked about academics. He really cared about his players and their education. Reinforced my position that the best basketball coaches are in college ball.
September 25, 2023
I was utterly absorbed in this book. The author's writing is simply mesmerizing.
July 10, 2011
Just finished this book about my husband's new boss and I am wondering how much has changed in Coach Majerus' perspective and coaching approach in the 12 years since this magical year at Utah. Would sure love to see a repeat and a sequel from his current SLU years. Great to read about his commitment to his players, family, and friends that goes so much deeper than basketball.
October 15, 2008
One of my favorite sports biographies of all time. Follows the life of Coach Rick Majerus (one of the few stand-up guys in the sports world today) and his journey to becoming the head coach at Utah. A little outdated these days, but still a great introduction to the world of college athletics.
July 21, 2013
I loved this book. It shows the many sides of Majerus: the tough coach, the funny guy, and the deeply-caring human being. I loved them all. I was very glad to learn something about his upbringing and his family, especially his dad.
July 7, 2011
Interesting insight into the world of Majerus, to which I was admittedly largely in the dark about.
December 5, 2011
Didn't really read all of the book because I had to turn it back into the library. Good biography of Majerus and shows his determination and style as a coach.
January 15, 2013
Fun book. Majerus was definitely one of a kind.
May 7, 2013
Awesome read. All about fundementals
May 29, 2021
Majerus was an amazing coach. Extremely locked in. Basketball was his life. Funny stories.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews