Awesome, Baby! Vitale’s ESPN Deal Takes Him to 40th Season

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Dick Vitale has agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him at ESPN through his 40th season with the network.

ESPN announced on Vitale's 77th birthday Thursday that the popular college basketball announcer's deal now goes through the 2018-19 season.

Vitale says that "my goal is to be the first announcer ever to call a game and say, 'You're awesome, baby!' at 100."

The former Detroit Pistons coach joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after the network's September 1979 launch, and called its first major college basketball game. He's worked more than 1,000 games since.