Legendary announcer Dick Vitale celebrated his birthday with his eyes on setting another milestone at the age of 100.
“Young At Heart” Vitale’s Birthday Wish To Call A Game When He Turns 100
Vitale is synonymous with college basketball, and the iconic former coach and ESPN announcer celebrated his 86th birthday on Sunday (June 9). In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Vitale shared photos of himself and his wife Lorraine McGrath, expressing a wish to do something remarkable when he turns 100.
“Yes Hello 86 as today I will celebrate my birthday – wow only 14 years from 100 when I walk into @DukeMBB to be the 1st @espn announcer to call a game at 100 -as Francis Albert Sinatra sang “. YOUNG AT HEART” @jksports @TheMontagGroup @ESPNPR,” he wrote, tagging Duke and ESPN in the post.
Yes Hello 86 as today I will celebrate my birthday – wow only 14 years from 100 when I walk into @DukeMBB to be the 1st @espn announcer to call a game at 100 -as Francis Albert Sinatra sang “. YOUNG AT HEART” @jksports @TheMontagGroup @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/nev9NZ6Ydt
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 9, 2025
The declaration from Vitale is notable, as this year marked the departure of another legendary ESPN announcer from the airwaves, Hubie Brown. The 91-year-old Brown called his last game in February, an NBA contest between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s also a good sign as to how well Vitale is feeling after announcing that he was declared cancer-free in May. “I am ecstatic! I’m on cloud nine! [Dr. Rick Brow] said the bloodwork was perfect, and he also said four words you love to hear: ‘You’re cancer-free, baby!'” the college basketball analyst exclaimed in a video posted on X at the time.
“Wow, I can’t believe it. I really am so excited. It brought me to tears when he delivered it, because as cancer patients, you know that call is nerve-racking time. It’s life-changing.”
Vitale has dealt with bouts of melanoma in 2021, according to Men’s Journal. He was also diagnosed with lymphoma at the time. In 2023, he shared that he had been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer, and a year later revealed that a lymph node in his neck was deemed cancerous.
Vitale would miss considerable time off the air for treatment and recovery, sharing that emotion and gratitude while calling an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament game with Dave O’Brien and Cory Alexander in March.
KEEP READING: Dick Vitale Raises $12.5 Million in 1 Night For Pediatric Cancer Research Bringing His Charitable Collections to $105.4M
“It’s a miracle to sit here with you guys,” Vitale said, according to PEOPLE. “I can’t tell you how much you’ve meant to me. It’s been unbelievable. A tough three years, those four cancer battles. I don’t wish it on anybody. Cancer sucks.”
If anyone can make it to 100 and call a game at Cameron Stadium despite those battles, you’ve got to put your money on Vitale being the one.
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