One of the most prominent voices in college basketball returns to the air after an absence of almost two years. Dick Vitale’s most recent television assignment for ESPN was April 3, 2023.
Vitale was on the call for the international broadcast of that season’s men’s basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster is scheduled to resume his analyst duties when Duke faces Wake Forest on Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old’s comeback comes after battling four different types of cancer over three and a half years.
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College basketball legend Dick Vitale before an SEC tournament 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 showed cancer. Earlier this month, the legendary broadcaster declared he was cancer-free.
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In 2021, months after undergoing several 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 vocal cord cancer diagnosis and underwent radiation treatment.
Dick Vitale on the sidelines 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 elated and can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation and chemotherapy treatments over six months,” Vitale said in a statement.
“It’s been a very tough journey, but all the prayers and messages from the beautiful 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. such a difficult time. I just hope I can give people some ideas about basketball that can bring even more excitement to the game.”
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is recognized for his return to Allen Fieldhouse. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Pitaro, president of ESPN, said Vitale “is one of a kind.”
“There is no better ambassador for the sport of 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 to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”
Vitale has been with ESPN for more than four decades and joined the network during the 1979-80 college basketball season. Since then he has called more than 1,000 games.
Vitale was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in September.
