Inaugural Vitale event to feature Duke vs. Texas

A caller yearly men's assemblage hoops lawsuit volition grant Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale.

ESPN Events, successful collaboration with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, announced the instauration of the Dick Vitale Invitational connected Vitale's 86th birthday.

The inaugural lawsuit volition instrumentality spot connected Tuesday, November 4 astatine the Spectrum Center successful Charlotte, N.C. and volition diagnostic the Texas Longhorns taking connected the Duke Blue Devils.

"ESPN has been specified a captious portion of my beingness since December 5, 1979, and I was truthful thrilled to larn that ESPN Events volition person an yearly Dick Vitale Invitational," said Vitale. "Jimmy Pitaro and each my colleagues and friends astatine ESPN person been truthful bully to maine and I americium truthful thankful for each of the prayers and emotion I person received from them during my crab battles. ESPN has been household to maine and has fixed maine a beingness that has been adjacent amended than my dreams. To the Vitale family, ESPN is 'Awesome, baby' with a superior A!"

"Dick is the bosom of assemblage basketball, and his kindness, generosity and courageousness are a changeless inspiration to america all," said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. "Through the instauration of the Dick Vitale Invitational, we volition observe him and his profound interaction connected the sport."

ESPN besides announced that Vitale has a caller multi-year declaration done the 2027-28 season, which volition widen his tenure with the institution to astir 50 years. Since joining ESPN during its archetypal twelvemonth successful 1979, Vitale has called much than 1,000 games. His countless accolades see induction into the Naismith Basketball and Sports Broadcasting Halls of Fame. Most recently, helium received the prestigious Dean Smith Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and was introduced by erstwhile ESPN President George Bodenheimer arsenic The New York Athletic Club's Winged Foot Award recipient.

Off the court, his tireless dedication to the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund has resulted successful the V Foundation presenting implicit $105 cardinal successful probe grants advancing puerility crab treatments and care.