One of the leading 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 present for the international broadcast of that season’s men’s basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and the Aztecs of San Diego State.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster will resume his analyst duties when Duke goes against Wake Forest on Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old’s return comes after he was diagnosed with four different types of cancer in 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 said declared himself cancer free.
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In 2021, months after undergoing a handful of surgeries to remove the 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 sideline during a Champions Classic men’s college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I am absolutely ecstatic, and I can’t believe this is happening after six months of undergoing five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 rounds of radiation and chemotherapy,” Vitale said in a statement.
“It has been a very tough journey, but all the prayers and messages from the wonderful fans have inspired me. “I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all my ESPN colleagues, who I consider my second family, enough for the love they have shown me. I just hope I can provide people with some basketball insights that can make the game even more exciting.”
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is recognized for his return to Allen Fieldhouse. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, said Vitale is “one of a kind.”
“There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while dealing with his own health issues, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, which inspired us all,” Pitaro said in a statement. “Dick is one of a kind, and we can’t wait to get him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on January 25.”
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Vitale has been with ESPN for more than four decades, joining 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 & Cable Hall of Fame in September.
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