Famous longtime college
basketball analyst known more for his
obnoxiousness and loud, screeching voice than for actual basketball
knowledge.
Vitale has been broadcasting college hoops on ESPN since 1979 (and also on ESPN's partner ABC in recent years). While he does know his basketball, he's famous for being loud and overly enthusiastic.
Vitale has created his own vocabulary of terms, such as "PTPer" (prime-time player; for a player who performs best in important games) and "diaper dandy" (for freshman star players). He's written several books about college basketball.
It's little known that Vitale was a coach before his broadcast career. He coached the University of Detroit from 1973-1977 (and was actually fairly successful, compiling a 78-30 record and an NCAA tournament appearance). He then coached the NBA's Detroit Pistons for a little more than a season from 1978-1979 with little success (34-60 record) before being fired and ending up at ESPN.
The vitals: born June 9, 1939 in East Rutherford, New Jersey; wife Lorraine; 2 daughters Terri and Sherri.
(reference: Vitale's website on espn.com)