Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Vitale, Dick
Richard J. “Dick” Vitale has a magnetic presence as both a basketball coach and broadcaster, but his days at the University of Detroit initiated and endeared him to basketball fans throughout metro Detroit.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey on June 9, 1939, the man who would become known worldwide as “Dickie V” began his coaching career at various high schools and colleges in New Jersey. In 1973, he was hired by the University of Detroit to rejuvenate their college basketball program, a charge that he readily embraced.
During his time at the school, he posted a sterling 78-30 record, leading the unheralded Titans to the round of 16 (now “Sweet Sixteen”) in the 1977 NCAA tournament. He was named University of Detroit athletic director in 1977. Along the way, he ignited fans and alumni throughout the region with his clear passion for the game and his showmanship. He was known as a “good quote,” because he always had something unique to say about his basketball team, the University’s Jesuit clergy, or any topic making headlines in the city. Vitale was also a tireless recruiter and promoter for the school.
He was tapped as the new coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1978 by owner William Davidson. The team promoted his hiring with a splashy press conference at the Pontiac Silverdome and a “reVITALEized” promotional campaign. Despite record-setting crowds, the Pistons fired Vitale on November 8, 1979 as the stress of the NBA and a losing season eventually got the best of him.
Following his coaching career, Vitale began his noted broadcasting career with Sportstalk on Detroit’s WXYZ-AM. Before long he was hired by ESPN, the then-fledgling all-sports cable network, to do studio work and basketball color analysis. He was the announcer for the network’s first NCAA basketball game, Wisconsin and DePaul, in 1979. Since then, he has broadcast more than 1,000 college games, continuing to captivate fans with his signature expressions.
Vitale was honored for his basketball passion in 2008 with enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The University of Detroit Mercy’s basketball court at Calihan Hall was named in his honor in 2011. However, his achievements go beyond basketball. He has appeared in a number of film and TV roles and has written ten books, albeit in both cases most, if not all, basketball-related.
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