Dick Vitale headlines Distinguished Speaker Series next year

By Nathan Walls
Editor

College basketball enthusiasts will get a chance to be part of a “super-scintillating” evening April 11, 2005, when legendary announcer Dick Vitale visits UNCP to add excitement to the 5th annual Distinguished Speaker Series.

Known for years as a flamboyant on-air personality, Vitale recently extended his contracts with ESPN and ABC through 2006. He manned the microphone for ESPN’s first college basketball game between Wisconsin and DePaul on Dec. 5, 1979.

He is a regular contributor to ESPN The Magazine, Basketball Times, Eastern Basketball, USA Today, annually produces Dick Vitale’s College Basketball Magazine and has authored six books. He has received eight CableACE nominations for top analyst and won the award in 1995. Vitale also has a website which can be viewed by clicking here.

“I’m living the American dream,” Vitale once said. “I learned from my mom and dad, who didn’t have a formal education, but had doctorates of love. They told me that if you gave 110 percent all the time, a lot of beautiful things would happen. I may not always be right, but no one can ever accuse me of not having a genuine love and passion for whatever I do.”

Traditionally, Distinguished Speaker Series tickets are free for UNCP students and $10 for faculty and staff and the general public.