Dick Vitale, or "Dickie V", is a celebrated American basketball sportscaster renowned for his passionate and exuberant commentary. He spent 41 years at ESPN. Before broadcasting, he coached at both college and professional levels. Vitale is famous for his signature catchphrases like "This is awesome, baby!" and "diaper dandy," which, along with his colorful personality, made him a prominent figure in college basketball broadcasting. Beyond broadcasting, he's a published author with fourteen books and has made appearances in films.
On June 9, 1939, Richard "Dick" John Vitale, later known as "Dickie V", was born. He would become a famous American basketball sportscaster and former coach.
In 1958, Dick Vitale graduated from East Rutherford High School.
In 1958, Dick Vitale took his first job as a coach at an elementary school in Garfield, New Jersey.
In 1962, Dick Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in business administration.
In 1964, Dick Vitale became the head coach at East Rutherford High School, his alma mater.
In 1971, Dick Vitale ended his tenure at East Rutherford High School with a record of 131-47 and two New Jersey state championships.
In 1971, Dick Vitale married Lorraine McGrath. They have two daughters, Terri and Sherri.
In 1971, Dick Vitale moved to Rutgers University as an assistant coach under head coach Dick Lloyd.
On March 31, 1973, Dick Vitale was named head coach at the University of Detroit (now Detroit Mercy).
On December 15, 1977, Herb Brown was dismissed from coaching the Detroit Pistons.
In 1977, Dick Vitale led the Detroit Titans to the NCAA tournament and achieved a 21-game winning streak. Following the 1977 season, his fourth as Detroit head coach, Vitale was named the university's athletic director.
On May 1, 1978, Dick Vitale became the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, signing a 3-year contract.
On November 8, 1979, after a 4-8 start to the season, Dick Vitale was fired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
On December 5, 1979, Dick Vitale called ESPN's first college basketball game between DePaul and Wisconsin with Joe Boyle.
In 1979, M.L. Carr's decision to sign with Boston as a free agent triggered a transaction in which the Pistons demanded Bob McAdoo in exchange for Carr and two 1980 first-round draft picks.
In 1980, the Pistons had the worst season in franchise history, leading to Boston trading their acquired draft picks for Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.
In 1983, Dick Vitale experienced public recognition at the Final Four, realizing the impact of his broadcasting career.
In 1985, after the American Broadcasting Company acquired ESPN, Dick Vitale began doing broadcasts on the ABC network.
In 1988, Dick Vitale made a cameo appearance as a baseball color commentator in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!.
In 1994, the Sega Genesis video game Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!" College Hoops, featuring Dick Vitale's name, voice, and likeness, was released.
In 1999, Dick Vitale was featured in a series of promo shorts for a proposed sitcom called "Hoops Malone" on ESPN, although no actual episodes were produced. Vitale later turned down an offer to do an actual sitcom.
In December 2002, Dick Vitale, along with Dan Shulman and Bill Walton, commentated a St. Vincent – St. Mary's–Oak Hill Academy prep game featuring LeBron James.
By the 2004-05 season, Dick Vitale was announcing approximately 40 college basketball games a year for ESPN and ABC.
In 2004, Dick Vitale released his autobiography "Living a Dream," co-written with Dick Weiss, discussing his experiences with the Pistons, ESPN, and memories of Jim Valvano.
On January 7, 2009, Dick Vitale called his first NBA game on television since the 1984 NBA playoffs, commentating on a Miami Heat versus Denver Nuggets game with Dan Shulman.
As of 2009, Dick Vitale had called close to a thousand college basketball games. He typically partners with Mike Patrick and Dan Shulman.
In 2010, EA Sports discontinued the NCAA Basketball (formerly NCAA March Madness) video game series, for which Dick Vitale provided commentator voices with Brad Nessler.
In February 2015, ESPN removed Dick Vitale from covering the Duke-UNC basketball game, ending a long streak since 1979.
In August 2021, Dick Vitale announced that he was undergoing treatment to remove melanoma.
In December 2021, Dick Vitale was diagnosed with pre-cancerous dysplasia and ulcerous lesions on his vocal cords, resulting in a four-month loss of voice after surgeries.
In January 2022, Dick Vitale announced he would take the remainder of the season off to rest his voice before undergoing planned vocal surgery.
In August 2022, Dick Vitale announced that his doctors had officially declared him "cancer free".
In July 2023, Dick Vitale announced that he had been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and would undergo six weeks of radiation therapy.
In December 2023, Dick Vitale announced that he was cancer free and held a clean bill of health.
As of 2023, Dick Vitale is signed with ESPN through the 2023–24 college basketball season.
On June 28, 2024, Dick Vitale announced he had been diagnosed with lymph node cancer and would undergo surgery.
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