Sunday, December 19, 1999
Five questions with Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale, a.k.a. Dickie V., a.k.a. Hoops Malone, is a rarity in the broadcast game: He is more famous than almost all the players he covers.
Vitale, for 20 years the voice of college basketball on ESPN, was in town Saturday to do the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. It was the first Xavier-UC game for Vitale, further elevating the game's status as the country's biggest local rivalry.
Vitale does 60 games a year for ESPN, a dozen more for ABC, plus plenty of studio shows and sound bites.
He has written or co-written five books. He publishes a magazine. He has been in six movies. And he is one of the most sought-after speakers in the world.
Not bad for a guy who thought his world came to an end when he was fired by the Detroit Pistons 21 years ago.
Vitale answered five questions from Enquirer reporter John Fay:
1. If they placed you in charge of the NCAA for one day, what's the first thing you do?
I'd make it a requirement that all players complete their four years of eligibility, so they mature and get their degrees. You've got to be prepared for life when you stop bouncing the basketball. Too many players leave college early to chase the professional dream.
2. What's the toughest job in college basketball?
Let's see Northwestern ... Rice ... I'd have to say Northwestern. To compete in the upper echelon of the Big Ten — with the Indianas, the Michigans, the Purdues and the Ohio States — is so hard for Northwestern with its academic requirements. I've talked to Kevin O'Neill about it. He's doing a great job, but it's tough.
3. You and Billy Packer — one-on-one, make-it-take-it. Who wins?
He's too quick for me. He'd penetrate inside on me. But I could really battle him in a free throwing shooting contest or a game of horse.
4. Which basketball announcers do you like to listen to?
We have a great stable of stars at ESPN. I've been saying that for years. But I wouldn't want to single anyone out. As far as influence on me, I've always tried to be like Billy Packer on the X's and O's and have the schtick and pizzazz of Al McGuire.
5. Did you really pay for the books of the kid (Cory Clouse) who threw in the halfcourt shot at UC's Midnight Madness in 1994? (Clouse won tuition for a year for making the shot; Vitale offered to pay for his books just before the shot).
I've tried to track him down. I wanted to pay for them. I wanted him to send me a bill. I said I'd do it, and I stick to my word. But I've never heard from him. I want to pay for them. Tell him to call me! The cash is waiting, baby! I'm a man of my word ... .
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