On Dec. 5, 2011, the University of Detroit Titans will honor former head basketball coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale by naming the floor at Calihan Hall after him.
↵Vitale coached at the University of Detroit (and served as athletic director) from 1973-77 and led the Titans to the NCAA tournament in 1977. A year later he was named the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. He was let go in 1978 after compiling a 34-60 record.
↵Vitale's dismissal from the Pistons resulted in him doing announcing for ESPN. He has been with the network ever since, and Dec. 5 will actually mark the 32-year anniversary of Vitale's first game for ESPN. In addition to honoring Vitale on that day this year, Detroit will host St. John's in a game that will be shown nationally by the network.
↵Here is what Vitale had to say about this honor:
↵↵↵"I can't tell you how much this means to me. It should be a special, special moment," Vitale said. "It will probably move me to tears."
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Keri Gaither, Detroit's athletic director, said the school decided to honor Vitale for both his "time at Detroit" and his "significant contributions to the sport over several decades."