One day, I was sitting with a bunch of my buddies and, as usual, the conversation was all about sports. We began to battle back and forth about whether anyone would supplant Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time in the world of basketball. It has been generally felt by many experts that Jordan has not had anyone equal his stature. The fun began as I said, wait a minute, what about King James, LeBron James!
Then the battle began.
Names came flying out, fast and furious. Jordan and LeBron, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, The Big O, Larry Legend, Magic Johnson. The hits just kept on coming. It was an intense back-and-forth, baby!
Well, that gave me an incredible idea. I went to bed that night, tossing and turning, thinking about picking the best of the best in my four decades behind the microphone at ESPN.
Then I simply said, I will call it my Mount Rushmores, the best four in various categories, Yes, the best coaches, players, etc. I think you get the picture.
I enlisted the help of Hall of Fame writer Dick "Hoops" Weiss and former ESPN research guru Howie Schwab to help come up with categories for our All Mount Rushmore teams. Together we developed this concept and I put together my lists for each group.
My friends, let the debates begin. I know you can make a case for different people in several categories. That's the fun part, like being at a sports bar and debating who you liked more.
I could have gone with a number of people for coaching and playing honors. At the end, I made some tough decisions.
I do want to be very clear that all of my Mount Rushmore players and coaches are only from my era at ESPN, which began on December 5, 1979, when I worked the very first major college basketball game on ESPN, which was between De Paul (Number One in the Nation!) vs. Wisconsin. That is the only reason I did not include greats like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and the legendary John Wooden. They were just before my time at ESPN. I have the utmost respect and admiration for those guys!
I hope you enjoy my latest book. It was a lot of fun putting these All-Mount Rushmore teams together.
As with most of my projects, this book is really special to me because all of my proceeds from the sale of it will go to the V Foundation for pediatric cancer research. Please spread the word, as we must all unite to help kids battling cancer.I would appreciate it so much if you would make a donation by telling friends about this book and by going to: www.dickvitaleonline.com. All donations will go through the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Dick Vitale is college basketball's top analyst and ambassador. His thorough knowledge of the game is brought forth in an enthusiastic, passionate, sometimes controversial-but never boring-style. In 2018, Vitale began his fortieth season at ESPN. He joined the network during the 1979-80 season, just after the network's September 1979 launch when he called the networks first-ever major NCAA basketball game on Dec. 5, 1979. Since then, he's called over one thousand games.
In 2008, Vitale received the sport's ultimate honor when he was selected as an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Vitale has been selected for a total of thirteen halls of fame, including the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Awards Hall of Fame, and the National Sportscasters Hall of Fame.
He continues to participate on selection committees for both the Naismith and Wooden Awards and is a member of The Associated Press voting panel for the Top-25. He is also a voter for the Hall of Fame's Bob Cousy Awards.
Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He also earned a Master's Degree in education from William Paterson College, and has 32 graduate credits beyond the Master's Degree in Administration.
In 1970, he joined Rutgers University for two years as an assistant coach, helping to recruit Phil Sellers and Mike Dabney, two cornerstones on an eventual NCAA Final Four team (1976).
Vitale then coached at the University of Detroit, compiling a winning percentage of .722, which included a 21-game winning streak during the 1976-77 season. In April 1977, Vitale was named Athletic Director at the University of Detroit and later that year was named the United Fund's Detroit Man of the Year. In May 1978, he was named head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons, which he coached during the 1978-79 season, prior to joining ESPN.
Vitale is on the Board of Directors of The V Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano (an organization with has since raised over $200 million for cancer research). He hosts the annual "Dick Vitale Gala" in Florida benefiting the V Foundation, which has raised $25.2 million to date, gathering numerous celebrities to raise money and honor individuals such as Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight and Pat Summitt, Billy Donovan, Tom Izzo, Jay Wright and Nick Saban, and Robin Roberts.
For many years he's awarded five scholarships annually to the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota, Florida. His involvement with the organization was highlighted in April 1999 with the "Dick Vitale Sports Night," an annual banquet that has raised more than $1 million. In April 2000, in recognition of Vitale's support for the Boys and Girls Club, it was announced that a new building would be named The Dick Vitale Physical Education and Health Training Center. A statue of him stands in front of the Training Center. Vitale was inducted into the Sarasota's Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame at the 2001 Dinner. In 2002, Sarasota magazine named him one of the area's most influential citizens.
Dick Vitale was born in Passaic, New Jersey and resided in his youth in Garfield and Elmwood Park, New Jersey. He and his wife Lorraine now reside in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and have two daughters, Terri and Sherri, who both attended Notre Dame on tennis scholarships, and who both graduated with MBAs from the Golden Dome.The Vitale's proud involvement with Notre Dame includes the endowment of the Dick Vitale Family Scholarship, presented annually to Irish undergraduates who participate in Notre Dame Sports and activities that do not provide financial aid.
