OT: Dickie V...
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Vitale has to be one of the luckiest SOBs ever born. If not for the fact that a kid named Les Cason happened to be walking throught the hallways of the New Jersey high school where Vitale was coaching, we'd have ever heard of the guy. (For those who don't recognize the name, Cason was perhaps the first in a long line of "can't miss" high school superstars in my lifetime who, well, missed.)
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It’s weird with Dickie V for me. I’m 42 years old so he has been on TV essentially for my entire life as a college hoops fan. As much as he can be annoying, it will be very weird without him. I said the same about Billy Packer when CBS ousted him. Now, Raftery? The day he is no longer calling games will be a day that I actually shed a tear.
I met him in the 1970's. At the time I was coaching at a summer Bball tournament in
NYC suburbs. One of the players was Mike O'koren (later became an All American
at UNC) and Vitale was recruiting him for Detroit University. Vitale was head coach there at the time.
What I remember the most about Vitale was that he arrived in a candy apple red
convertible (I forget the make, but it was big). The two side doors had in big
white script letters.....Dick Vitale, University of Detroit basketball coach.
I thought, this guy is a real show off. His personality, at least at that time, was loud
and brash. He made a fool of himself that night with this particular recruit. Actually every top program was recruiting this kid and Vitale and Detroit really had no chance.
Somehow Vitale went from U of Detroit to the Pistons. I think over time, he's been
considered a pretty good and charitable person. I've never been a fan of his broadcasting and I don't know anything about him as a person in real life....but I
thought I'd share this story of what I experienced 40 some years ago. Yeah, I'm
that old. LOL.
NYC suburbs. One of the players was Mike O'koren (later became an All American
at UNC) and Vitale was recruiting him for Detroit University. Vitale was head coach there at the time.
What I remember the most about Vitale was that he arrived in a candy apple red
convertible (I forget the make, but it was big). The two side doors had in big
white script letters.....Dick Vitale, University of Detroit basketball coach.
I thought, this guy is a real show off. His personality, at least at that time, was loud
and brash. He made a fool of himself that night with this particular recruit. Actually every top program was recruiting this kid and Vitale and Detroit really had no chance.
Somehow Vitale went from U of Detroit to the Pistons. I think over time, he's been
considered a pretty good and charitable person. I've never been a fan of his broadcasting and I don't know anything about him as a person in real life....but I
thought I'd share this story of what I experienced 40 some years ago. Yeah, I'm
that old. LOL.
When he first came out as an announcer, I thought he was fun, but after 35 years of it, he got annoying. I remember his bald head reflecting light at the Civic arena during a Pitt vs. Cuse game in the 80s!
I had a young guy work for me back in the 80’s. He was in our Detroit territory. His claim to fame was as a Michigan state champion in high school golf. Dick Vitale fresh off a final 8 performance as University of Detroit basketball coach was also the AD. The priests told him to start a golf team and offer a couple of kids scholarships because they were flush with NCAA money from the tournament. The kid I hired was given a golf scholarship by Dickie V. Then two years later He became the head coach of the Pistons
