Frank Thomas

Vitale Notable Sports Figures
Still Going After Laughs
For a song about ESPN’s Dick Vitale... [baritone Robert] Goulet sang, to the
tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”:
“What the hell’s a ‘Diaper Dandy’?”
“Or a ‘Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roo’?”
“A ‘Windex Man’ or a ‘Slam-Jam-Bam’”
“Is that English that he parlez-voos?”
Source: Sandomir, Richard, New York Times, October 28, 1996.
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 overthe-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,
1692
Awards and Accomplishments
1964-70 Coaches East Rutherford High School (N.J.) to four state
sectional championships, two state championships and 35game
win streak over seven years
1976 Honorary alumnus, University of Detroit
1977 Coaches University of Detroit to 21-game win streak, upset of
eventual national champion Marquette and berth in NCAA
tournament
1977 Man of the Year Award, Detroit Athletic Club
1983 Named one of Five Most Influential Personalities by Basketball
Times
1989 American Sportscasters Association “Sportscaster of the
Year.”
1994-95 Wins Cable ACE Awards
1997 Honorary degree, Notre Dame University
1998 Curt Gowdy Media Award, Basketball Hall of Fame
2001 Sarasota Boys and Girls Club inducts Vitale into Hall of Fame,
names new fitness center in his honor
2002 Named one of area’s most influential citizens by Sarasota
Magazine
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