{"id":914,"date":"2018-11-12T18:57:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T18:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/?post_type=inductees&p=914"},"modified":"2018-12-21T15:01:12","modified_gmt":"2018-12-21T20:01:12","slug":"dick-vitale","status":"publish","type":"inductees","link":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/inductees\/dick-vitale\/","title":{"rendered":"Dick Vitale"},"content":{"rendered":"

A master of wordplay that has enhanced the lexicon of sports broadcasting, Dick Vitale has inhabited the TV screens of college-basketball fans for four decades. With a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes numerous Hall of Fame inductions (notably, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Hall of Fame), eight movie appearances (including Blue Chips <\/em>and He Got Game<\/em>), nine books, and iconic calls, he has always had a simple motto that has kept him grounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents told me to never, ever believe in the word can\u2019t<\/em> and to always be good to people,\u201d Vitale says. \u201cI used to hear at the dinner table every day that, if you\u2019re good to people, a lot of good things are going to happen for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in East Rutherford, NJ, Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University after four years at East Rutherford High School. In athletics, he was involved in all sports, but basketball presented a unique opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>I realized that, if you want to get ahead in the coaching profession as a guy that wasn\u2019t a great player or had a recognizable name, the quickest way to the top was basketball,\u201d he says. \u201cI went to as many clinics and camps as I could and studied as much as I could about the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beginning his coaching career at the high school level, Vitale found his first taste of success at his alma mater, earning two consecutive state titles during a seven-year tenure. He rose through the coaching ranks and became head coach at the University of Detroit. He excelled at the helm, leading the Titans to a 21-game winning streak and, in 1977, capturing the school\u2019s second NCAA-tournament appearance.<\/p>\n

Before a Sweet 16 matchup against defending national champion University of Michigan, then NBC Executive Producer Scotty Connal approached Vitale with an opportunity to speak to the broadcast team of Emmy Award-winning announcer Curt Gowdy and five-time AP College Coach of the Year John Wooden, who served as analyst. The men on the call noticed his larger-than-life persona.<\/p>\n

Vitale recalls, \u201cScotty told me [after the game] that both guys, on their way out of the arena, said, \u2018Man, we really like that guy\u2019s energy and enthusiasm. You should think about him in TV someday.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The NBA\u2019s Detroit Pistons came calling in 1978, but the gig lasted only one season. Soon the coach crossed paths again with Connal, who had recently been named VP of sports programming and operations at the fledgling ESPN.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Scotty called me to do my very first game, I told him I didn\u2019t want to do it and I wanted to get back into coaching,\u201d Vitale says. \u201cHe called me back a week later, and the rest, as they say, is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

He traded in a whiteboard for a microphone and called his first college-basketball game, ESPN\u2019s first major NCAA game, on Dec. 5, 1979.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, he was just unbridled enthusiasm,\u201d recalls ESPN anchor Bob Ley. \u201cI say this with affection, but he was like an untrained colt. You were trying to get him into the gate and teach him what broadcasting was because what he had to offer beyond that was infectious.\u201d<\/p>\n

With exposure and experience, Vitale gradually found his voice and became the face of ESPN\u2019s college-basketball coverage. An eclectic mixture of exuberance, excitement, and expertise, he began captivating viewers with nicknames like \u201cDiaper Dandy\u201d (a promising freshman player) and \u201cPTP\u201d (a primetime player) as well as such phrases as \u201cawesome with a capital A!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are said in the locker room,\u201d he explains. \u201cI just transferred a lot of that to television, and it\u2019s become a really fun situation. Scotty taught me that there\u2019s two things to broadcasting: you want to educate, and you want to entertain. I\u2019ve always tried to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In more than 1,000 games, Vitale has teamed up with other prominent personalities on the sidelines, such as Brad Nessler, Brent Musburger, and Jim Simpson. Throughout the years, he has never strayed from what makes him great.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of a kind because of his love, knowledge, and passion for the game,\u201d says Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. \u201cPeople want to hear him. There will never be anybody like Dick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although his on-air presence and lighthearted personality have left their mark on the world of sports, Vitale\u2019s efforts in fighting childhood cancer have changed lives across the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of his great friends was [late coach\/broadcaster] Jimmy Valvano,\u201d says Steve Anderson, former EVP, content operations and creative services, ESPN. \u201cHe has done everything he can to keep [the V Foundation for Cancer Research] and that fight for cancer going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vitale\u2019s status in sports-broadcasting lore remains secure through his unwavering passion for the game and his philanthropic endeavors. Beginning his 40th season behind the mic, he credits many individuals for helping him along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome beautiful people have played a vital role: the incredible inspiration and drive of my parents; my second family at ESPN; my wife of 47 years, Lorraine; my daughters,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been a very blessed and lucky guy. I\u2019m not in these halls of fame if these people weren\u2019t so good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":915,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[45],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees\/914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/inductees"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}