Latest news with #ESPNEvents
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational bringing Duke, Texas basketball to Charlotte
A new college basketball event is coming to Charlotte, and it's bringing two of the top programs to the Queen City for the opening days of the 2025-2026 season. ESPN Events and the Charlotte Sports Foundation on Monday announced the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, the same day as Vitale's 86th birthday. Advertisement The invitational will bring the Duke Blue Devils and the Texas Longhorns men's basketball teams to the Spectrum Center. The game is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4. Vitale was part of ESPN's first year in 1979, and he's called more than 1,000 games since then. 'For over 30 years, Dick Vitale has been the voice of college basketball,' said Clint Overby, Vice President of ESPN Events. 'I can't think of a better way to honor his legacy than have a basketball event featuring the very best of the sport.' Ticket information will be available later on, you can click this link to sign up for presale notifications. (VIDEO: Spectrum Center transforms to welcome top tennis pros for Charlotte Invitational)
Chicago Tribune
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Dick Vitale has an extension with ESPN — and a college basketball event in the 86-year-old's honor
Dick Vitale is inextricably intertwined with college basketball, with his iconic voice, exuberant style and enthusiastic catchphrases melding into a soundtrack for nearly five decades of the sport's history. And the broadcasting great's influence is sticking around next season, too, both in person on game days and through an addition to the college basketball calendar named in his honor. ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has signed a contract through the 2027-28 season, while ESPN Events is launching the Dick Vitale Invitational — the first matchup coming with a season-opening tilt between Duke and Texas on Nov. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fittingly, the announcement comes on Vitale's 86th birthday, and months after he returned to the airwaves after being gone for two years amid a fourth battle with cancer. The Basketball Hall of Famer, also a former college and NBA coach, has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979 and called the network's first college basketball broadcast. 'So many times, awards and honors come to people after they're long gone,' Vitale said of the Invitational's birth in an interview with The Associated Press. 'And to get it while you're living is just a great, great feeling.'
Hamilton Spectator
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Dick Vitale has an extension with ESPN - and a college basketball event in his honor
Dick Vitale is inextricably intertwined with college basketball, with his iconic voice, exuberant style and enthusiastic catchphrases melding into a soundtrack for nearly five decades of the sport's history. And the broadcasting great's influence is sticking around next season, too, both in person on game days and through an addition to the college basketball calendar named in his honor. ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has signed a contract through the 2027-28 season, while ESPN Events is launching the Dick Vitale Invitational — the first matchup coming with a season-opening tilt between Duke and Texas on Nov. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fittingly, the announcement comes on Vitale's 86th birthday, and months after he returned to the airwaves after being gone for two years amid a fourth battle with cancer . The Basketball Hall of Famer, also a former college and NBA coach, has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979 and called the network's first college basketball broadcast. 'So many times, awards and honors come to people after they're long gone,' Vitale said of the Invitational's birth in an interview with The Associated Press. 'And to get it while you're living is just a great, great feeling.' ___ AP college basketball: and
San Francisco Chronicle
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dick Vitale has an extension with ESPN — and a college basketball event in his honor
Dick Vitale is inextricably intertwined with college basketball, with his iconic voice, exuberant style and enthusiastic catchphrases melding into a soundtrack for nearly five decades of the sport's history. And the broadcasting great's influence is sticking around next season, too, both in person on game days and through an addition to the college basketball calendar named in his honor. ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has signed a contract through the 2027-28 season, while ESPN Events is launching the Dick Vitale Invitational — the first matchup coming with a season-opening tilt between Duke and Texas on Nov. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fittingly, the announcement comes on Vitale's 86th birthday, and months after he returned to the airwaves after being gone for two years amid a fourth battle with cancer. The Basketball Hall of Famer, also a former college and NBA coach, has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979 and called the network's first college basketball broadcast. 'So many times, awards and honors come to people after they're long gone,' Vitale said of the Invitational's birth in an interview with The Associated Press. 'And to get it while you're living is just a great, great feeling.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dick Vitale has an extension with ESPN — and a college basketball event in his honor
Dick Vitale is inextricably intertwined with college basketball, with his iconic voice, exuberant style and enthusiastic catchphrases melding into a soundtrack for nearly five decades of the sport's history. And the broadcasting great's influence is sticking around next season, too, both in person on game days and through an addition to the college basketball calendar named in his honor. Advertisement ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has signed a contract through the 2027-28 season, while ESPN Events is launching the Dick Vitale Invitational — the first matchup coming with a season-opening tilt between Duke and Texas on Nov. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fittingly, the announcement comes on Vitale's 86th birthday, and months after he returned to the airwaves after being gone for two years amid a fourth battle with cancer. The Basketball Hall of Famer, also a former college and NBA coach, has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979 and called the network's first college basketball broadcast. 'So many times, awards and honors come to people after they're long gone,' Vitale said of the Invitational's birth in an interview with The Associated Press. 'And to get it while you're living is just a great, great feeling.' ___ AP college basketball: and
