Dick Vitale, basketball analyst and philanthropist, will be inducted into the B+C Hall of Fame in September and will receive the Humanitarian Award for his tireless efforts to combat cancer, among other causes he fights for.
“I am thrilled and honored to be selected as a member of this prestigious hall of fame,” Vitale said. “To be included with those that were the foundation of cable TV is a fantastic honor.”
Born June 9, 1939, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University and earned a master's degree in education from William Paterson College.
He became a coach — junior high school football and basketball in his home state, then high school basketball. He moved on to college basketball in 1970 at Rutgers, then was head coach at the University of Detroit (1973-1977).
In 1978, Vitale was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons of the NBA.
A year later, he joined ESPN just after the network launched. He called ESPN’s first major NCAA basketball game, Wisconsin vs. DePaul, in December 1979.
Vitale’s accomplishments in philanthropy may even surpass what he’s done on television. Vitale is on the board of directors of The V Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1993 by the late Jim Valvano, who also called basketball games for ESPN. The V Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and Vitale hosts the annual Dick Vitale Gala in Florida, benefiting the foundation. The 2024 gala raised nearly $25 million, and overall funds raised by the event in its 19 years are close to $93 million.
The 2025 gala happens May 2 in Sarasota.
Indicating the impression he has made on popular culture, Vitale has played himself in several movies, including The Naked Gun, Hoop Dreams, Blue Chips and He Got Game.
Vitale’s many books include Dick Vitale’s Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball, Living a Dream (Reflections on 25 Years Sitting in the Best Seat in the House), autobiography Vitale and Holding Court: Reflections on the Game I Love.
This isn’t Vitale’s first Hall of Fame induction. He’s also been selected for the National Italian Sports Hall of Fame, the Sarasota Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame, The Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, among others.
Vitale and his wife, Lorraine, have two daughters, Terri and Sherri, who both attended Notre Dame on tennis scholarships and graduated with MBAs.
The B+C Hall of Fame event happens September 26 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York.
