Vitale: The Man, the Myth, The Legend

Time to fund our new floor and get the man in for another ribbon-cutting game: www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/32854358

Why? What benefit would that do? There are very few ways to generate money in Calihan Hall. Let's reserve the court name and building names to raise some significant funds. Ten years ago, we got nothing out of the naming rights except a game with St. John. Let's do better next time. We need money for facilities, not flashes from the past. Unfortunately, like everything else, we need a few wins and a little higher visibility. Having Dick in for a few hours doesn't do it anymore.

I believe we’ve talked to all local name brand companies about naming rights, which would allow us to do all the upgrades it needs. It just hasn’t happened yet. It might help if our basketball team could get on a roll and make several NCAA tournaments and attendance improves. I still believe this can happen, including a better league one day as a result.

We blew it naming the floor after Vitale, unless all we wanted out of it was a home game against St. John's and another opportunity to tell DV how great he is. That's pretty much all we got.

And, going past any actual benefit to the University, naming the floor after someone is a pretty big deal. DV was our coach for four years 40 plus years ago. That's a limited time for such an honor. As I mentioned in the Big East thread, Georgetown recently named their floor after Big John Thompson. His credentials are well known; he literally put Georgetown on the basketball map and coached there for 27 years. He maintained a deep connection to the school after he left, and contributed millions of dollars to the University. At High Point, the new basketball facility/conference center is called the Qubein, but they dedicated the floor as the Tubby and Donna Smith Floor. Smith played at HPU and has been a supporter of the University and program since he left and put together a great coaching career at other stops. He kicked off the fundraising effort for the new facility with a personal $1 million donation.

In light of those examples, and others, we wasted the opportunity we had when we named the floor. If we're looking to raise funds in the future, probably best to look someplace other than Vitale.

I feel Vitale used the U of D as a stepping stone. We bent over backwards to accommodate him then named the floor after him so he could cry a little then he sent large donation to Notre Dame. Maybe ND will name their court after him but probably not. I was against the court being named after him in the first place. A new court is can be a graceful opportunity to honor someone who is loyal to the University.

Some great news as March Madness begins. If only his former school was still participating:

www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2022/03/08/basketball-broadcaster-dick-vitale-cancer-free/9429426002/