Jan. 12, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Before taking his position courtside for Wednesday's Maryland-UNC game, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will be on campus to autograph copies of his new book, "Living a Dream: Reflections on 25 Years Sitting in the Best Seat in the House." Fans can meet and greet Vitale at the University Book Center in the Stamp Student Union from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Since joining ESPN in 1979, Dick Vitale has become a popular spokesman for college hoops. Few other broadcasters in history have developed such an elaborate glossary of terms, with phrases that are now part of the popular culture. Vitale has witnessed the phenomenal growth of TV sports and has been there to chronicle the history and trends in the game. His association with the giants of coaching and his experience as a former coach on the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, have given him a unique perspective on the game and a philosophy he has passed down from generation to generation of basketball fans.

"Dick Vitale's Living a Dream: Reflections on 25 Years Sitting in the Best Seat in the House" is more than just a memoir of an active life in sports. It is an up-close look at the man behind the TV persona. Vitale reveals details about his start at ESPN and shares his feelings about the most important people in the college basketball world, on both personal and professional levels. There are reminiscences of the celebrities he has met, as well as the deep friendships he has formed over the years. Living a Dream is not mired in the past, however, and deals with numerous contemporary topics. He writes about the price coaches and players have to pay to be the best, the problems that beset the sport today, what he would want in a perfect basketball world, and his projections for the future of the sport he loves.

Dick Vitale joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after the network's September 1979 launch, following a successful college and professional basketball coaching career. He called ESPN's first-ever NCAA basketball game -- Wisconsin at DePaul on December 5, 1979 (a 90-77 DePaul win). Since then he has called close to a thousand games, including NBA contests for ESPN during the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Vitale recently extended his contract with the network through 2006.