“Awesome, BabY!” Dick Vitale Named 2009 IPL 500 Festival Parade Grand Marshal
Legendary college basketball analyst and ambassador Dick Vitale will serve as grand marshal of the 2009 IPL 500 Festival Parade. The Parade is Saturday, May 23, and will be a celebration of the 2009 theme: Laps, Legends & Legacy: Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway®. As Parade Grand Marshal, Vitale will also be attending the Regions 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, presented by Cindy and Paul Skjodt and take part in some ceremonial pre-race activities at the 2009 Indianapolis 500®.
Vitale is best known for serving as a college basketball analyst for ESPN. He joined the network in 1979, following a successful college and professional coaching career. Vitale coached at the University of Detroit from 1973-1977. In May 1978, he was named head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons, which he coached during the 1978-79. On December 15, 1979, Vitale called ESPN’s first-ever major basketball game – Wisconsin at DePaul. Since then he’s called close to a thousand games. In 2008, Vitale was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
500 Festival Past Grand Marshals
What does one former President of the United States, three South American Ambassadors, a General, a race champion, a POW Korean War Ace, Medal of Honor Recipients, Public Safety Agencies, Governors, Astronauts, film greats and even Mickey Mouse have in common? Well the answer is that over 47 years each has starred in the 500 Festival Parade as a grand marshal.
For the very first parade, Lt. General H.W. Arnold, USA, did the honors, Jimmy Stewart in 1965 and Walter Cronkite in 1966. It was a "Bonanza" year in 1967 when Lorne Green, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon formed a grand marshal trio. The next year (1968) there were three Ambassadors from South of the Border and the charming Edie Adams was grand marshal for 1970.
Colonel James Kasler thrilled the crowds as parade grand marshal in 1973. To the delight of his family and everyone else, "Jim Kasler" was "back Home Again in Indiana," after being returned from prisoner of war camp in North Korea. All returned POW’s from Indiana were honored parade guests that year.
Mickey Mouse was a solo grand marshal in 1974. Not until the 1985 parade did Mickey bring Minnie and 60 other Disney characters along when he was grand marshal. Mickey and Minnie appeared once again as Grand Marshals in 1992.
Grand marshal Peter de Paolo brought back memories in 1975 of his breaking the 100mph speed record 50 years before. In 1976 Tony Hulman, then President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, shared the spotlight with his friend, Bob Hope. The three 4-time winners of the Indianapolis 500- Al Unser, Rick Mears, and A.J. Foyt were grand marshals in 1995.
Former President Gerald R. Ford was a stunning crowd pleaser as 1979’s grand marshal. In 1983 the 500 Festival reached into space for Astronaut Joe Allen as the grand marshal. And something for the girls in 1984- David Hasselhoff of "Knight Rider" fame.
1999 was a touching year, honoring nearly 100 Medal of Honor Recipients as the grand marshals of the parade. And in 2001 a very special set of grand marshals, the Public Safety Agencies of Indianapolis. In 2004, Indiana’s own Jane Pauley returned to the Hoosier state to serve as the 500 Festival grand marshal.
Over the years these military leaders and popular celebrities have served dutifully as our parade grand marshals. We salute them all in return.
1957 Lt. Gen. G. W. Arnold 1958 1959 1960 Gen. David Shoup, USMC 1961 Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Kelly 1962 Ge. Herbert B. Powell 1963 Lt. Gen. Charles G. Dodge 1964 1965 James Stewart 1966 Walter Cronkite 1967 Lorne Green, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon 1968 Ambassadors from Peru, Boliva, and Equador 1969 Manueal Fraga Iribarne 1970 Edie Adams 1971 Hon. George W. Romney, Hon. John A. Love, Hon. Carl B. Stokes 1972 Phil Harris 1973 Col. James H. Kasler 1974 Mickey Mouse 1975 Peter DePaolo 1976 Tony Hulman & Bob Hope 1977 William Hanna & Joseph Barbera 1978 Roy Clark 1979 President Gerald R. Ford 1980 Mike Douglas 1981 Joyce Dewitt 1982 Merlin Olsen 1983 Joseph Allen 1984 David Hasselhoff 1985 Mickey Mouse 1986 Lt. Col. Jerry L. Ross 1987 Mario Vasquez Rana 1988 Garfield & creator Jim Davis 1989 Gene Autry 1990 Vice President Dan Quayle 1991 A.J. Foyt & Mary Fendrich Hulman 1992 Mickey & Minnie Mouse 1993 Larry Bird 1994 Mario Andretti & Bonnie Blair 1995 A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser 1996 Garfield & creator Jim Davis 1997 Cam Cameron, I.U. - Bob Davie, Notre Dame - Joe Tiller, Purdue 1998 Dr. David Wolf - NASA Astronaut 1999 Medal of Honor Recipients 2000 Jim Nabors 2001 5 Public Safety Agencies 2002 Jim Caviezel- Actor & 2002 Indy 500 Pace Car Driver 2003 Wynonna Judd 2004 Jane Pauley 2005 Reggie Miller-Indiana Pacer legend 2006 Rachael Ray 2007 Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts Quarterback 2008 Patricia Heaton
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