Isn't It Great Being Dickie V?

INDIANAPOLIS -- During the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans, then Tulane athletic director Kevin White was hosting a party at Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter.

All of college basketball's heavy hitters were there and they all waltzed right in without a problem. Everyone strolled in. Everyone except for Dick Vitale.

When Vitale emerged from his car, it became a mob scene.

"We all had to huddle around him to keep the crowd from him," said Tom Odjakjian, a Big East associate commissioner who was working at ESPN at the time. "It was like surrounding a guy on his way to the ring for a championship fight. It was unreal."

Seventeen years later in another Final Four city, it's still an unreal experience trying to get Dick Vitale to a public event. Don't believe me? Then keep reading.

****
Vitale sits on a couch in the lobby of the University Place Hotel on the IUPUI campus on Saturday afternoon. He's waiting for the van that will take him to the Indianapolis Hooters for a scheduled appearance before the national semifinals are played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Vitale is trying to remain non-conspicuous. It isn't working. Every single fan -- no matter the age, no matter whether it's a man or a woman, black or white, tall or short, fat or skinny, sober or drunk -- they all approach Vitale as if he's wearing a sign that says "Get Your Free Money."

A man in a Minnesota sweatsuit, who admits he's been pounding Bloody Mary's since 10 a.m., wants Vitale's opinion on a 96-team NCAA tournament. As someone who can relate with the children's book: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," there is the "If You Ask Vitale a Question" phenomenon.
"Welcome to the fifth Beatle."
-- Howie Schwab on Vitale
"The NCAA just needs to be honest," Vitale tells the fan, repeating what he's said already said on ESPN. "Just tell us it's because of the piles of George Washingtons. They are rewarding total mediocrity. Is it good for basketball? No."

Basketball, though, has been very, very good to Vitale. And Vitale has been very, very good for basketball. And charities. Vitale has raised millions for cancer research and never stops trying to raise money.

For each person that approaches him, Vitale hands them a mimeographed piece of paper. On it are details of a five-day summer Hawaiian Holiday where fans can play golf or tennis with the likes of Vitale, Erin Andrews, Lou Holtz and Chris Berman for $3,950 with proceeds going to The V Foundation for Cancer Research (call 1-866-994-9814).

A few minutes later, Vitale and his support team are notified the van has arrived, so Vitale starts what should be a 30-second walk to the front door. A simple walk through a fairly vacant -- by Final Four standards -- University Place Hotel lobby takes nearly 10 minutes. Vitale can't walk more than three feet at a time, before he's stopped by another fan wanting just one more photo, one more autograph, one more chance to tell Dickie V that "He's Awesome, Baby!"

If Bill Raftery, who was profiled in an excellent Sports Illustrated piece by Kevin Armstrong, is "Uncle One More," then Vitale is "Uncle One More Autograph" or "Uncle One More Photo."

"This goes on all day," Vitale tells me. "I love it. I just wish I had a dime for every photo I took."
Vitale finally makes it in the van. Also accompanying Vitale to Hooters is Sue Lipton, who works for IMG Broadcasting, the company that represents Vitale; ESPN's Howie Schwab and Mike Humes.

Once in the van, Lipton is on her Blackberry. She's in constant contact with officials at Hooters, confirming the easiest way to get Vitale inside the building, if his family is already inside or other minutiae. All Lipton, a senior director at IMG, needs is dark glasses and an ear piece and she's more than qualified for Secret Service duty.

The plan is set. She tells the driver to go down the side alley where Vitale will enter through a side entrance. Vitale steps out of the van and is immediately greeted by Hooters officials. They quickly walk him toward the stairs to enter the restaurant. Waiting at the stairs to escort Vitale in the restaurant is -- and I am not making this up -- four uniformed Indiana state police officers.

Seconds later, a voice booms over the in-house public address system: DICK VITALE IS IN THE BUILDING!

The capacity crowd inside Hooters roars its approval. One guy tries -- unsuccessfully -- to clap while holding onto his chicken wing.

Howie Schwab has seen this sort of thing countless times before. There's no stumping the Schwab, he knows why Vitale is so popular. Schwab has been at ESPN for 23 years and been aligned with Vitale for the last 20 years.

"Welcome to the fifth Beatle," Schwab said.

Vitale is a spokesman for the restaurant and is making this appearance because Hooters has donated more than $2 million dollars to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, something very dear to his heart.

Before Vitale tried to make a dent in the autograph line that is snaking through the restaurant, he goes over to greet his wife and two daughters, his two son-in-laws, and their five grandchildren.

He quickly inhales a grilled chicken sandwich and prepares for the onslaught of autograph seekers. They don't stand a chance.

Vitale has a stack of posters ready to sign, but it doesn't take long before someone wants something else signed. Vitale obliges and signs "Dickie V" on Tim Kiger's bald head.

Schwab remarks that it's permanent ink, but Kiger, 43, from Palestine, Ill., doesn't care. "He's energy," Kiger said. "Just a lot of energy."

Vitale tells me that was the first bald head he's autographed. I'm guessing it won't be the last.

Steve Geary was already supposed to have left Hooters a few hours ago. But then he found out Vitale was making an appearance, so he stuck around. The 46-year old from Drexel Hill, Pa., is definitely glad he did.

"He's like an icon to me," Geary said. "He looks really good for his age [Vitale turns 71 in June]. He looks great. He's very down to earth and he doesn't show off. He tells you the truth. He's very believable."

Terry Moberly, the general manager of the Indianapolis Hooters, said the only other celebrity appearance his restaurant had was in 2000 with Jim Rome.

"Honestly, this blows Rome away," Moberly said. "Rome sat in a corner over there and had maybe 100 people come through the whole time. We've already got 100 people in line for Dick right now."

Even former USA Today columnist Rudy Martzke and his wife have stopped by. Vitale's popularity is unquestioned. Why he's so popular depends who you ask.

"He brings it to a level everyone can relate to," Moberly said. "He doesn't try to over analyze, like some analysts do. He answers questions pretty blunt, pretty simple in black and white that way everyone understands it. The Hooters girls even know who he is.

"In all due respect -- and I want to say this respectfully -- he's like a cartoon character that everyone relates to like Homer Simpson. Everyone goes I really like that guy, he makes me laugh."

Is Vitale the mayor of the Final Four?

"Mayor?" Moberly said. "Hell, he's the Governor; no he's the President of the Final Four."

The President of the Final Four has been married to Lorraine Vitale for 39 years. While Dick Vitale was mobbed by adoring fans and discussed the Final Four, she sat with her daughters at a nearby table enjoying lunch.

She said it's simple why fans love him so much.

"Because he loves them," Lorraine said. "It's true, he loves people. People know that with celebrities. There's vibes that they know when you're saying 'I really don't want to do this.' But he really does want to do this. That's the difference."


Lorraine says she doesn't mind sharing her husband with all of America.

"No," she said. "I love it, because he loves it."

Hannah Holmes loves Dick Vitale. She's a 20-year old nursing student at Marian College in Indianapolis. She started playing basketball in first grade and played two years at the NAIA school.

She's also a Hooters calendar girl from the Speedway, Ind., franchise.

"Honestly, he's the dynasty of sports announcing," Holmes said. "He's enthusiastic, he knows what he's talking about. He has experience. He's a legend.

"The day I found out he was coming here, they said 'would you like to do a promo for Dick Vitale?' I said 'heck yes, I would. I'd love to. I'd be honored.' "

Holmes is still talking about her love of basketball and what a huge fan she is when a tall, handsome man in a suit and a tie stops nearby.

"Who's this?" she asks me.

"Jay Bilas," I said.

"I don't know him," she says.

After she learns of Bilas' playing background and his current duties with ESPN, she goes over and gets his autograph. Then she returns to our conversation.

"I'm sorry, but if you're having a bad day and you turn on Dickie V it brings a smile to your face," Holmes said. "It's Dickie V baby. He loves what he does and you know it."

Alicia Day, a 21-year old Hooters waitress from Indianapolis, has Vitale sign her copy of his book: "Vitale: Just Your Average Bald, One-Eyed Basketball Wacko Who Beat the Ziggy and Became a PTP'er."

When she learned Vitale would be coming to Hooters, she purchased it on eBay. It cost 99 cents.

"But now it will be worth a lot more now that I have his autograph on it," Day said.

"I love Dick Vitale. He puts a little spunk into college basketball. You say Dick Vitale, what does everyone say? 'Awesome baby!' I love college basketball. He's awesome baby, just like I thought he was going to be.

"He's nice. He's been here how long signing everything and he's still nice to everyone. You know when you approach him, he just has that energy."

Vitale is still going strong, but he's told it's time to leave. He has another engagement he committed to that begins shortly -- something called the Final Four games.

Vitale exits through the side entrance and walks down the stairs. Waiting in the alley are 12 Hooters girls, who surround Vitale for one last photo op. Quickly a crowd gathers as about three dozen people start taking cell phone pictures of the President of the Final Four and 12 women clad in white tank tops and orange shorts.

Someone from the crowd yells out: "Isn't it great being Dickie V?"

Yes it is.

Vitale genuinely loves the fans. "I am totally obligated to do this," he tells me. "The fans just treat me so well."

Vitale leaves the Hooters girls behind and is whisked back into the van. Like a politician, he can't help but stop to pose for a few more pictures and shake a few more hands -- what, no one has a baby he can kiss? -- before Vitale climbs back into the van for the short drive to Lucas Oil Stadium.

Several minutes later and a few blocks away, a siren wails in downtown Indianapolis. It sounds like a police escort.

"There goes Vitale," I'm told by an ESPN official.

He's joking. I think.

Contact FanHouse senior writer Brett McMurphy at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com or on Twitter @BrettmcmurphY