Dick Vitale

1939-

American sportscaster

ESPN's "mouth that roars," Dick Vitale, is more than a college basketball announcer. He is a cult figure, showman, power broker, author, columnist,

cameo actor, motivational speaker and frequent lightning rod for controversy. Players, coaches, fans and media respect his wisdom and influence; some mimic his "V-Speak," his self-styled vocabulary; others cringe at his shtick. Vitale and ESPN have ridden each other's coattails since the all-sports cable network's launch in 1979.

Some critics say Vitale's appearance on ESPN's telecasts of high school games involving prized recruit LeBron James of Akron, Ohio, reflects a maddening overhype of scholastic sports. Others say Vitale spares coaches, some of whom are his closest friends, when he addresses the ills of college basketball. And still others say Vitale and the network encourage carnival barking to the detriment of the game.

Coaches At All Levels

Vitale, raised in New Jersey, graduated from Seton Hall University and received a master's degree from William Patterson College. After coaching Garfield High School one year, he took over at his alma mater, East Rutherford High, and won two New Jersey state championships and four sectional championships.

After serving as Rutgers University assistant for two years, Vitale took the head job at the University of Detroit. In four seasons under Vitale, the Titans went 78-30, a .722 winning percentage. They won 21 straight in 1976-77, defeated eventual national champion Marquette and played in the NCAA Tournament. After one year as Detroit athletic director, the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons named Vitale head coach. He lasted but one year in the NBA, however; the Pistons went 30-52 and missed the playoffs.

Soars with Cable Network

Vitale joined ESPN for the 1979-80 season, shortly after the Bristol, Connecticut-based network went on air. He worked its first college basketball telecast, DePaul's 90-77 victory over Wisconsin in Chicago. His stock rose as the network's did. ESPN in the early-to-mid 1980s carried the early rounds of the NCAA tournament, thus widening Vitale's exposure. (CBS got exclusive rights to the tournament in the late 1980s.) "The cable network, the home of early-round tournament games since 1980, developed a cult following of sorts and many believe the increased exposure given Cinderella teams helped revolutionize recruiting, making it easier for coaches at lesser-known schools to lure high school prospects," Mike Duchant wrote in CBS Sports Line. Vitale now also calls games for ABC, which shares an ownership with ESPN.

In addition to its game telecasts, ESPN introduced Sports Center, its one-hour nightly sports newscast. Sports Center freed TV sports news from ESPN Senior Vice President John Walsh once called "the five minute ghetto" on the local 11 p.m. news.

Vitale maintains his "V-Speak" glossary on the Internet. "While his knowledge, preparation and enthusiasm are unparalleled, his 'Vitale-isms' have unwittingly taken on a life of their own," ESPN wrote on its Web site. A Vitale arrival for a telecast is often a happening in itself. Mike Krzyzewski, coach of powerhouse Duke and a good friend of Vitale's, good-naturedly needled the announcer on air for not coming to a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium until January of the 2002-03 season.

Vitale, though, is unabashed in his admiration for Duke's program-and building. "Oh, man. I think everyone out there is trying to emulate what goes on at Cameron Indoor Stadium," he wrote in an e-mail response to a fan at his "Dickie V" Web site. "You certainly have to say that at any school with a big program, you have super, super fans. The (Maryland) Terp fans at Comcast Center … the Cameron Crazies down at Duke … Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk out at Kansas … the fans in Lexington (Kentucky) at Rupp Arena. When programs are winning, it breeds that special environment. The Pittsburgh fans at the new Peterson Events Center are into it because the team is faring so well. There are so many special places in college basketball today."

In another fan response, Vitale railed at trash talking in sports. "The sports scene plays a pivotal role in developing youngsters in a positive way," he said. "I think it has lots of good potential for developing the kinds of attitudes needed in a competitive world. I was recently with several leading executives who were former athletes, and they said sports played an important part in their growth."

LeBron James Controversy

Skeptics, however, say Vitale's act serves to encourage the very showboating he says he disdains. And, his over-the-top style clearly does not appeal to everyone. "Over the last 20 years, Vitale has established himself as a leading expert in college basketball. His knowledge of the game rivals that of Peter Gammons in baseball. He has quick facts and stats at his fingertips, and is as credible an announcer as there can be," said Boston writer Bob George on his web site. "But the guy is an absolute horror to listen to. Annoying? At least. Aggravating? Definitely."

A media firestorm erupted during the winter of 2002-03 when ESPN assigned Vitale to cover high school games. LeBron James, a star at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, was the 2002 Parade All-America High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year, and had appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated. and ESPN The Magazine. ESPN assigned another marquee announcer, former NBA star Bill Walton, to join Vitale. What resulted, critics said, was a carnival atmosphere when St. Vincent-St. Mary played (and defeated) what Minneapolis writer Steve Aschburner called "a traveling troop of NBA wannabes from a hoops factory in Virginia (Oak Hill Academy)." "Oh, every so often, the two hired shills (Vitale and Walton) would verbally wring their hands about the hype and how this might be too much pressure for the young man. Then Vitale would crank himself up again and rave about the money ("Millions, ba-by!") that one lucky sneaker company will lavish upon him," Aschburner wrote in the Star Tribune.

Vitale defended himself after Billy Packer of CBS joined the criticism. "ESPN is not hyping LeBron James," he said. "(He) is just the latest teenage phenom to capture the public's attention."

Vitale, who is signed with ESPN through 2006, has written six books and received countless awards from basketball and civic organizations. He has a merchandise Web site and regularly contributes to ESPN The Magazine, USA Today and other periodicals. He has also played his own character in various television shows. He and his wife, Lorraine, have two daughters, Terri and Sherri, each of whom attended Notre Dame University on tennis scholarships and have earned master's degrees.

Vitale's Impact

Some critics say Vitale represents over-the-top showmanship in broadcasting. "I'm taking up a collection to bribe Dicky V into doing one entire game without raving about some stupid dunk," wrote Bob Ryan, longtime Boston Globe basketball columnist. "The man is a sweetheart human being, but he has no idea how much harm he causes by encouraging on-court nonsense."

But Vitale's knowledge of college basketball, and influence within it, are without question. And ratings attest to his recognition factor. "Dick Vitale has been synonymous with college basketball," said Rudy Martzke, media critic for USA Today. "He brings an insider's perspective to each broadcast, and his lifelong relationships provide him a wealth of knowledge few can equal."

SELECTED WRITINGS BY VITALE:

(With Curry Kirkpatrick) Vitale: Just Your Average Bald, One-eyed Basketball Wacko Who Beat the Ziggy and Became a PTP'er. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.

(With Dick Weiss) Time Out, Baby! New York: Putnam, 1991.

(With Mike Douchant) Tourney Time—It's Awesome, Baby Indianapolis: Masters Press, 1993.

(With Charlie Parker and Jim Angresano) Dickie V's Top 40 All-Everything Teams. Indianapolis: Masters Press, 1994.

(With Dick Weiss) Holding Court: Reflections on the Game I Love. Indianapolis: Masters Press, 1995.

(With Dick Weiss) Campus Chaos: Why the Game I Love Is Breaking My Heart. Indianapolis: Time Out Publishing, 1999.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Other

Ashburner, Steve. "NBA Insider: Sad Case of LeBron James." Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com, (December 15, 2002).

"Dick Vitale Bio." ESPN.com, http://www.espn.go.com/dickvitale/vfile/index.html (January 17, 2003).

Douchant, Mike. "A Look at How All the Madness Has Evolved." CBS Sports Line, http://live.sportsline.com/u/page/covers/basketball/mar98/ncaaprev3198.htm, (March 1, 1998).

George, Bob. "Final Four Becomes Final Bore." Bob George's BOSSports, http://www.bossports.net/celtics/cb040200.html, (April 4, 2000).

Lincicome, Bernie. "Media Hype Keeps Driving LeBronmania." Rocky Mountain News, http://www.rockymountainnews.com, (January 15, 2003).

Ryan, Bob. "Running a Few Thoughts Up the Opinion Pole." Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/363/sports, (December 29, 2002).

Shapiro, Leonard. "Highs, Lows of Television Sports in '02." Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com, (January 2, 2003).

Telander, Rick. "A Bunch of Hypocrites." Chicago Sun Times, http://www.suntimes.com/index/telander.html, (December 15, 2002).

"V Speak: Glossary of Terms and Teams." ESPN.com, http://espn.com/dickvitale/vspeak/index/html, (January 17, 2003).

Wendorff, Hermann. "Devils Dump Hoyas." Fayetteville Observer, http://www.fayettevillenc.com, (January 15, 2003).

Sketch by Paul Burton