Dick Vitale, ESPN Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Dick Vitale has been the foremost authority on college basketball at ESPN for 37 years, and the legendary announcer's tenure with the sports media giant is far from over.  

According to Rachel Margolis Siegal of ESPNMediaZone.com, the former University of Detroit head coach and ESPN have agreed to a deal that will keep him with the company through the 2017-18 college hoops season.

Upon the announcement of the new contract, Dickie V was thrilled to have his immediate future secured, per Margolis Siegal:

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I am so proud to be part of the ESPN team. They have become my second family and have been a vital part of my life. It has been nothing but pure happiness working with the beautiful people at ESPN and I can't thank them enough as they've been responsible for so many of the glorious days I've had in my life.

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Also, as pointed out by Vitale, it just so happens that the news comes on the day he is celebrating his 76th birthday:

Dickie V is renowned not only for his encyclopedic knowledge of college basketball but also for his energetic and exciting style of announcing.

He has brought a certain level of dynamism to the game that nobody else has been able to replicate for nearly four decades, and he still resonates with fans after all that time.

Vitale is undoubtedly the biggest name in the history of college basketball announcing and analysis, and there is no question that ESPN will continue to benefit from his presence.

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