ESPN’s Dick Vitale to call 1st game after beating cancer 4th time

Dick Vitale, the legendary voice of college basketball, is returning to the air for the first time since 2023.

The Hall of Fame broadcaster will call the Duke-Wake Forest men’s college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Vitale, 85, has battled four different types of cancer in the past three and a half years. Most recently, he underwent surgery in the summer of 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Vitale announced on Jan. 8 that he was cancer-free.

“I am absolutely ecstatic and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months,” Vitale said. “It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me.”

“I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game.”

In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he had multiple surgeries to remove melanoma. In 2022, he announced he was cancer-free. Then in 2023, he was diagnosed with vocal cord cancer and underwent radiation.

Vitale’s last game assignment was nearly two years ago — on April 3, 2023, calling the international broadcast of the San Diego State vs. UConn national championship for ESPN. He announced he was cancer-free for the third time in November 2023.

Vitale joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after ESPN’s launch, and called the network’s first major NCAA basketball game on Dec. 5, 1979. He has gone on to call well over 1,000 games and in September 2024, he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.