Dick Vitale Has Been Married for Over 50 Years, and He Can Thank the New York Mets
Legendary ESPN announcer Dick Vitale celebrated a very special anniversary in 2021.
The year marked 50 years since Vitale married his wife, Lorraine. The two married in May 1971, two years after first meeting one another.
Vitale, a devout Tampa Bay Rays fan, owes the New York Mets for his successful marriage.
ESPN’s Dick Vitale has been married for over 50 years
Dick Vitale is still going strong at age 83, just as he did amid a global pandemic.
ESPN’s decision to have many college basketball announcers call games remotely allowed Vitale to work from home. In turn, the College Basketball Hall of Famer got to spend more time with his wife, Lorraine.
Vitale went viral in December 2020 when he asked his wife to grab him a snack while he remotely called a game between Kansas and Kentucky.
The two wed in May 1971 and have two daughters together, Terri and Sherri.
Vitale can thank the New York Mets for providing good luck
When Dick Vitale first met Lorraine McGrath in 1969, the world was a much different place.
Vitale was the head basketball coach at East Rutherford High School (N.J.) and two years away from becoming an assistant at Rutgers. In October of that year, Vitale came into contact with the woman he later married.
In a 2008 interview with MassLive, Vitale reflected on the day that Lorraine came into his life.
“I met Lorraine in 1969, the day the New York Mets won the World Series. The Mets won a championship and I hit a grand slam.”
We can all say it together now: “Awww.”
Vitale and the Mets’ success crossed paths again four years later. Vitale became the head coach at the University of Detroit in 1973, the same year that the Mets reached the World Series.
Detroit went 17-9 in Vitale’s first season. Meanwhile, Tom Seaver and the Mets fell to Reggie Jackson and the Oakland Athletics in the Fall Classic.
Lorraine has remained supportive of Dick Vitale’s career
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Dick Vitale spent many nights on the road covering college basketball.
If a marriage can reach 50 years with how many late nights Vitale had, that’s a testament to true love. Vitale frequently posts photos of the two and shares stories of how supportive his wife has been, especially when she encouraged him to join ESPN.
In 2006, the duo created the Dickie V Gala to help raise funds for pediatric cancer. According to the New York Post, the event had raised over $30 million in total money as of May 2019.
Vitale has not said anything about retiring anytime soon, even amid a global pandemic. Front Office Sports reported in 2019 that Vitale’s contract runs through the spring of 2022. He has remained active even beyond those dates.
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