The Michigan Daily-Friday, October 13, 1978-Page 15
VITALE MAKES IT TO THE BIG TIME
[IfM--
Ambition becomes reality
By DAN PERRIN
This man hasn't changed. Nor has his
ifestyle. Adversity stares him in the
ace now as it has so often in the past.
The man is Dick Vitale, rookie coach
f the NBA Detroit Pistons. A man
hose life has been constantly filled
ith adversity, something he has lear-
ed to overcome.
AS VITALE puts it, "Baby, I thrive
n pulling off miracles, on fighting ad-
iersity."
Adversity became a part of Dick
itale's vocabulary at the tender age of
our when he poked his left eye with a
encil. A decade later, it became
eriously infected and the New Jersey
ative was minus one eye:
"I lived with (the eye injury) but I
ttled that," recalled Vitale. "As long
s the Lord gives you strong legs, arms
nd a heart beating, I'll be O.K."
VITALE VERSUS adversity - part
wo, occurred while he was coaching at
s alma mater, East Rutherford (New
tersey) High School, where he ran up a
1-47 record, including a pair of state
hampionships. This time the problem
-as internal bleeding. He endured the
risis but almost didn't make it when
he bleeding re-occurred in the summer
f 1977.
Vitale, then head coach at the U of D,
as giving clinics around the country
hen he collapsed in New Jersey.
"I got rushed to the hospital and lost
ix pints of blood," recollected the
oach." I was lucky that they caught
e the day they did. If I had waited
other day, they said I would have
'ed from blood loss."
THE ILLNESS, diagnosed as
leeding of the stomach lining, retur-
ed to haunt Vitale a third time just
ior to the start of the 1977-78 season.
"I had a slow bleed," Vitale ex-
lained. "Not much, but enough to
ake me say, 'Hey baby, let me think
E ' wife, my family, my children.' I
aid, 'Let me now get out of it
coaching.)'"
Backed by a postive doct9r's report
nd a lifelong dream of being a
rofessional coach, Vitale came back to
.oaching as he sought the then-vacant
b as Pistons head coach.
FACED WITH critics who insisted he
esign from U-D to work for the
istons, Vitale retorted, "Anybody that
ought I would better myself from that
uld not be intelligent."
Vitale was named Pistons head coach
May 1, 1978. Billed as a' coach who
ouldn't make it in the pros with his
'rah-rah college style", Vitale has ear-
ed respect and support from his
ayers. Considering the numerous
oblems ex-coach Herb Brown had
ith the Piston cagers in the past, this
unusual indeed.
The Pistons' man in the middle, Bob
nier, epitomizes the feelings of the
hole team when he says, "We feel bet-
r about coming to work. We work
rder. I've always felt the team is an
ffspring of the coach's personality.
"DICK IS a hyper dude," continued
e 6'11" center. "Practice goes from
ne thing to another. Everything is
lanned, sharp and disciplined."
"Gotta be a winner, gotta be a
inner," screamed Vitale at a Crisler
& - A ~ I fl - --of
WhEA-6
ti
P
is
I
I
TOUCH
arena practice last montn. "Losers
gotts run. Here's where it's won,
baby-at the line."
While the Blues ran, starting forward
M.L. Carr answered his coach, "I think
my legs are listening to you. They're
Lanier's words pretty much describe
a Dick Vitale practice. Vitale never
stops. If he isn't hollering instructions,
he's giving the team a mid-practice pep
talk. When he's not participating in a
drill himself, he's encouraging the
ci~be 3icligatn 1ttiI
SPORTS
on the back.
Good coach in college? Yes, his
record shows it. It remains to be seen if
Vitale will be successful in the pros. But
one thing is for sure. If adversity at-
tempts to stop Dick Vitale, the man will
be prepared. In his own words, "No
matter what happens in my career, I
can say I've been to the big time. That's
just the greatest satisfaction."
CL ASSES NOW
FORMING FOR
DEC. 2nd LSAT
CALL or WRITE
University L.S.A.T. Preparation Service
1-261-LSAT in Livonia
33900 Schooicraft Rd.
Suite 4-2
Livonia. Michigan 48150
f
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.. t
4
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' .
' ,7f
;
,
,
I
'
'
r
..
FOOTBALL
OFFICIALS
NEEDED
contact:
Sandy Sanders ,
763-1313
or stop by the
Intramural
Sports Building
Dept. of Recreational Sports
I,
For more sports, see pages 11-14
I
hurting."
Vitale's cagers are being honest and
open-minded with him and he ap-
preciates this. Just before starting a
scrimmage, Carr's forecourt mate,
John Shumate, approached Vitale and
said, "I don't feel I deserve to be on the
Blues. Give it (my spot) to Leon
(Douglas)."
How often does that happen on a pro
team? An established veteran
sacrificing a starting spot on the team?
After explaining the situaiton to the
rest of the team, Vitale turned back to
Shumate, "You're right, you don't
deserve it. But I'm going to give it to
you. "
team at the free throw line.
Vitale was criticized for drafting
Terry Tyler and John Long, former
starters for Vitale at U-D. The two
know it, and are out to show one and all
that they can play on the NBA level.
"I don't want to make the team
because he (Vitale) was my former
coach. I want to earn it," said Tyler.'
"IT FEELS good for us to be playing
together," remarked Long after
executing an offensive drill.
"Good job, John," exclaimed Vitale.
"You know the fundamentals.
"No shit, you had a good coach in
college," joked Vitale, patting himself
TRMAL!!
:E ADIDAS *
1
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CONTEST
Pro cage
rosters
trimmed
From AP wire services
The NBA was a center of activity
yesterday featuring one major trade
nd several stars who made their
teams' injured reserve lists, as well as
few noted cuts.
The Philadelphia 76ers traded self-
tyled "All-World" guard Lloyd Free to
an Diego for the Clippers' 1984 first-
ound draft pick. The 6-foot-3 ' three-
ear veteran averaged 15.7 points last
ear. He was Philadelphia's second
round draft pick in 1975 out of Guilford
College.
To make room for Free,.ttle Clippers
released guard William "Bird" Averitt
s well as forward Bill Willoughby, a
ormer high school phenom who passed
p college on his way to the NBA. The
leveland Cavaliers cut former Notre
Dame star guard Gary Brokaw.
Heading up the league's star-studded
njured reserve list were Portland for-
ards Bob Gross (recovering from a
roken ankle) and Maurice Lucas
fractured finger), who will be sorely
issed by the Walton-less Blazers. The
oston Celtics lost ex-Piston Curtis
Rowe (bruised foot) and the Pistons
contributed their own forward John
humate (lung infection) to the list.
Also reported injured were guard
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