Dick Vitale facts for kids
Vitale in 2011
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 9, 1939 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
| High school | East Rutherford (East Rutherford, New Jersey) |
| Career information | |
| College | Seton Hall |
| Coaching career | 1963–1979 |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1963–1964 | Garfield HS |
| 1964–1971 | East Rutherford HS |
| 1971–1973 | Rutgers (assistant) |
| 1973–1977 | Detroit |
| 1978–1979 | Detroit Pistons |
Richard "Dick" John Vitale (born June 9, 1939), often called "Dickie V", is a famous American basketball sportscaster. He used to be a head coach for college and professional teams. He is best known for working 41 years as a college basketball announcer for ESPN. Dick Vitale is famous for his exciting comments during games. Some of his well-known phrases include "This is awesome, baby!" and "diaper dandy" (which means an amazing first-year player). He has also written many books and appeared in several movies.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Dick Vitale was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He grew up in Garfield, New Jersey, and later moved to Elmwood Park. His father worked in clothing and as a security guard. His mother was a factory seamstress.
Vitale finished high school at East Rutherford High School in 1958. He was the first in his family to go to college. He earned a degree in business from Seton Hall University in 1962. Later, he got a master's degree in education from William Paterson University.
Coaching Career
High School Coaching Success
Dick Vitale started his coaching career in 1958 at an elementary school in Garfield, New Jersey. He then became a high school head coach. He coached at Garfield High School for one season. After that, he coached at East Rutherford High School, his old school. There, he had a great record of 131 wins and 47 losses from 1964 to 1971. He led his teams to win two state championships in New Jersey.
College Coaching at Detroit
In 1971, Vitale became an assistant coach at Rutgers University. On March 31, 1973, he became the head coach at the University of Detroit. He led the Detroit Titans to the 32-team NCAA tournament in 1977. During his time at Detroit, Vitale had a record of 78 wins and 30 losses. This included a 21-game winning streak in the 1977 season. During that streak, his team even beat the Marquette team, who later became champions. After his fourth season as head coach, Vitale also became the university's athletic director.
NBA Coaching with the Pistons
On May 1, 1978, Vitale left the University of Detroit to become the head coach of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. He signed a three-year contract. In his first season (1978–79), the Pistons finished with 30 wins and 52 losses. Dick Vitale faced a lot of stress during this time. On November 8, 1979, after the Pistons started the season with 4 wins and 8 losses, Vitale was fired.
Broadcasting Career
Starting at ESPN
After leaving the Detroit Pistons, Dick Vitale got his first chance in TV at ESPN. He was not sure about becoming a broadcaster at first. He thought, "I know nothing about TV." But his wife, Lorraine, told him to "go on TV and have some fun." So, Vitale agreed to try it temporarily.
He called ESPN's very first college basketball game on December 5, 1979. In that game, DePaul beat Wisconsin 90–77. His first partner for calling the game was Joe Boyle.
Becoming a Broadcasting Star
Vitale was not a natural broadcaster at first. He made some mistakes, like talking when producers were giving him instructions. But the person who hired him, Scotty Connal, saw something special in him. Connal told him, "You have a quality we can't teach." Vitale realized this when many people wanted his autograph at the 1983 Final Four. He gives a lot of credit for his success to working with Jim Simpson early in his career.
In 1985, after ABC bought ESPN, Vitale also started doing broadcasts on the ABC network. By the 2004–05 season, Vitale was calling about 40 games each year.
In February 2015, ESPN changed his schedule. He no longer covered the famous Duke-UNC basketball games. He had covered every Duke-UNC game shown on ESPN since 1979.
Vitale is a voter for important basketball awards. These include the AP Top 25 men's basketball polls, the annual Naismith Award, and the John Wooden Award.
In January 2022, Vitale announced he would take time off to rest his voice. He had planned vocal surgery. He returned to broadcasting in November 2022 for the Champions Classic game between Kentucky and Michigan State. ESPN extended his contract through the 2027-28 college basketball season in May 2025.
Broadcasting Partners
Dick Vitale has called nearly a thousand games. He works as a color commentator, adding exciting insights during games. He often works with play-by-play announcers like Mike Patrick and Dan Shulman. During the postseason, he appears as an analyst in the studio. He has worked with many other famous sportscasters throughout his career.
Awards and Honors
Basketball Honors
- The University of Detroit named their basketball court "Dick Vitale Court" in his honor in 2011.
Broadcasting Awards
- 2019 Sports Emmy Award – Lifetime Achievement Award
ESPY Awards
- 2022 Jimmy V Award
Halls of Fame
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)
- College Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)
- Little League Museum Hall of Excellence (inducted in 2012)
- NSMA Hall of Fame (inducted in 2013)
- New Jersey Hall of Fame (inducted in 2016)
- Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 2020)
Other Appearances
Video Games
Dick Vitale lent his name and voice to the 1994 Sega Genesis college basketball video game Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!" College Hoops. He also provided commentator voices for EA Sports' NCAA Basketball video game series until it stopped in 2010.
Books
In 2004, Vitale released his autobiography, Living a Dream. He wrote it with Dick Weiss. The book shares his thoughts and memories from his time with the Pistons and ESPN. It also includes memories of former NC State basketball Coach Jim Valvano.
Product Endorsements
Vitale has appeared in commercials for various products. These include DiGiorno pizza, Oberto beef jerky, and GEICO. In the early 1990s, he was in Taco Bell TV ads.
Films and Television
Dick Vitale has made several appearances in movies and TV shows. In 1988, he had a small role as a baseball announcer in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. He also guest-starred on The Cosby Show with his friend Jim Valvano. In most of his film roles, Vitale plays himself, commentating on fictional games.
Film Roles
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) – Baseball Announcer #1
- Blue Chips (1994) – Himself
- Jury Duty (1995) – Hal Gibson
- The Sixth Man (1997) – Himself
- He Got Game (1998) – Himself
- Love & Basketball (2000) – Himself
- Complete Guide to Guys (2005) – Himself
- Home of the Giants (2007) – Himself
- Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2012) – Viking Mayor
Personal Life and Health
Dick Vitale married Lorraine McGrath in 1971. They have two daughters, Terri and Sherri, and five grandchildren. He has lived in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, since the 1990s. He is a big fan of the local sports teams, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lightning, and Rays. He is also a Catholic.
In August 2021, Vitale shared that he was getting treatment for melanoma. In October of the same year, he announced he was diagnosed with lymphoma and would seek treatment. In December 2021, he had issues with his vocal cords and lost his voice for four months after surgeries. In August 2022, Vitale happily announced that his doctors said he was "cancer free." In July 2023, he shared that he had been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and would undergo radiation therapy. By December 2023, he announced he was cancer free again. In June 2024, Vitale announced another diagnosis of lymph node cancer. He announced he was cancer free again in December 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Dick Vitale para niños
