The first words Dick Vitale uttered as a college basketball analyst for ESPN were: “It should be a classic matchup. College basketball excitement, enthusiasm.”
The date was Dec. 5, 1979. The place was Alumni Hall at DePaul University. The teams were the host Blue Demons and the visiting University of Wisconsin Badgers.
Vitale and the ESPN “College GameDay” crew are to be at the Kohl Center on Saturday for another Wisconsin game, when UW takes on Ohio State.