When I checked my mailbox in the Kansan newsroom last week, I was surprised to see a brown envelope addressed to me with a return address from Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Not having any idea what it was, I quickly opened up the envelope and discovered that I had been sent an assortment of stuff personally by ESPN Analyst Dick Vitale.

One of my favorite announcers in the business, Vitale has always been one of my favorites and his excitement and passion for college basketball. He is one of the few announcers that I will watch a game specifically to hear him announce and not to watch the teams playing. Some people rag on him for always talking about Duke and North Carolina, but when you get down to it, Vitale is one of the few who honestly seems to appreciate how lucky he is to be broadcasting the great sport of college basketball each night.

I have no idea how, but it seems that Vitale must have seen my article written last week on referee Steve Welmer. I have been told that Vitale regularly reads Kansan.com as well as the student newspapers for several other colleges, so maybe that is how he saw my story or got the address to The Kansan. Vitale autographed a couple of things including the cover of a recent issue of American Airlines Magazine and included a message that I will never forget:

“BJ, Rock Chalk Jayhawk Baby. You are an excellent writer. Keep chasing your dreams. Best of luck in your career.” –Dick Vitale, Hall of Fame 2008”

I asked to interview him for my story on Welmer, and he was unable to because of his recent throat surgery. But I don’t think Vitale has any idea who I am. I am just some college student who writes for the school newspaper, but for some reason, Vitale took the time to write to me and tell me that he thought I was a good writer, and that he enjoyed my story. He had no reason to take the time and the effort to write some kid that he doesn’t even know, and it was something that I will keep with me the rest of my life.

I thought that was the classiest thing that Vitale could possibly ever do, but I realized I was wrong when I looked at the other things that he had sent me. Included with the autographed magazine was a flyer and an article about the third annual Dick Vitale Gala that is being held next Friday in Sarasota, Florida. Included was a hand written note on his personal stationary that said, “B.J., just a note to show how classy Bill Self is, he will join us to help kids battling cancer on May 16th. Our goal is $1 million for pediatric cancer and the presence of Bill Self will help a great deal. Go Jayhawks, NCAA Champs Baby.” As a side note, that’s real nice of Self to travel down there to help.

I thought sending a note to a random college kid was the classiest thing he could have done, but as I read all of the materials he sent me on the gala, I realized I was dead wrong. This man does more for cancer research than anyone I know. He is a big supporter of the V Foundation, a cancer research foundation started by Jim Valvano, and now he is trying to raise $1 million at this gala to help find a cure for cancer. Individual tickets to the event cost $1,000, which will include Self, Bobby Knight, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Pat Summit and many other celebrities, and corporate sponsorships cost $25,000.

Vitale is more passionate about finding a cure for cancer than he is about college basketball. He made a personal promise to Valvano before he died that he would do everything he could to find a cure for cancer and Vitale was certainly living up to that promise.

Dick Vitale will always be known for his passion, enthusiasm and his crazy antics and calls while broadcasting games on ESPN, but he should be known for his amazingly sincere efforts to try and help cure that awful disease. He is doing more for that cause than anyone could have ever imagined. I hope his efforts will not be for nothing, and they will soon be able to find a cure for cancer.

So Dick, thanks for not only taking the time to boost the confidence of a young writer, but more importantly thanks for everything you do to help cure the awful disease that took the life of my young cousin, Anne, years ago.

Borrowing one of your famous lines, “You’re Awesome, Baby, with a capital A!”

— Edited by Kaitlyn Syring