Legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale will be back calling games for the first time in nearly two years when Duke visits Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 25 from Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston Salem, N.C.
On Jan. 8, the 85-year-old Vitale announced that his vocal cords are cancer free and that he was given the green light to return to calling games for ESPN.
"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," <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/01/welcome-back-dickie-v-hall-of-fame-broadcaster-dick-vitale-returns-to-the-air-saturday-january-25-on-espn/">said Vitale in a statement</a>.
"It's been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can't thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game."
This cancer battle was just the latest that Vitale has gone through in recent years. He was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2021, and then with lymphoma a few months later. He then announced in July 2023 that he had been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer, which he overcame a few months later. But then last summer, Vitale announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer a fourth time in his lymph nodes. He's been recovering from that ever since, and he underwent surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes in July.
Vitale has largely been away from ESPN amid his cancer battles, but he returned briefly in 2021 to an incredibly emotional moment at a game in Las Vegas.
The last game Vitale called was international broadcast of the 2023 men's national championship game between San Diego State and UConn.
Vitale has been at ESPN almost since the beginning and has been a staple in the sport for decades. He called the very first basketball game for the network after it launched, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Over 44 years since his ESPN debut, Vitale will be able to get back to doing what he loves most.
That's awesome, baby.