One of college basketball’s preeminent voices returns to the airwaves after nearly two years away. Dick Vitale’s most recent television assignment for ESPN was on April 3, 2023.
Vitale was on the call for the international broadcast of this season’s men’s basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster is expected to return to analyst duties when Duke faces Wake Forest on Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old’s comeback comes after dealing with four different types of cancer over three and a half years.
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College basketball legend Dick Vitale before an SEC tournament game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks on March 11, 2022, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Vitale underwent his most recent medical procedure last summer after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck revealed cancer. Earlier this month, the legendary broadcaster declared that he is cancer free.
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In 2021, months after undergoing a handful of surgeries to remove melanoma, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma. The following year, he announced that he was cancer free. In 2023, Vitale learned of his diagnosis of vocal cord cancer and underwent radiotherapy.
Dick Vitale on the sideline during a Champions Classic men’s college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I am absolutely thrilled and can’t believe this is happening after undergoing five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and six months of chemotherapy,” Vitale said in a statement.
“It’s been a very difficult journey, but all the prayers and messages from the wonderful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all my colleagues at ESPN who I consider my second family for the love ‘they showed me through “It’s such a difficult time. I just hope I can offer people some ideas about basketball that can bring even more excitement to the game.”
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is getting credit for his return to Allen Fieldhouse. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Pitaro, ESPN’s president, said Vitale “is one of a kind.”
“There is no better ambassador for college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while facing his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all ” Pitaro said in a statement. “Dick is one of a kind and we can’t wait for him to return to doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”
Vitale has worked at ESPN for more than four decades, joining the network during the 1979-80 college basketball season. Since then, he has announced more than 1,000 matches.
Vitale was inducted into the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame in September.
