Dick Vitale and college basketball go together like peanut butter and jelly, March Madness and buzzer-beaters, or fouling when down three. In fact, ask any fan between the ages of 20 and 65, and they’ll probably admit that Vitale’s voice is the one they imagine when someone mentions college basketball.
But Vitale has been absent from the booth for nearly two years following multiple battles with cancer. Saturday, he’s back in the booth to call Duke vs. Clemson for ESPN. It’s a matchup fitting for the legend.
Dick Vitale Returns to ESPN Broadcast to Call Duke, Cooper Flagg
It’s fitting that Vitale will get to call the nation’s best “Diaper Dandy” in his first game back in the booth.
The Vitale-ism is sure to be used Saturday when freshman phenom Cooper Flagg and the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils go on the road to play the Clemson Tigers. While the nostalgia will certainly flood the ears of college basketball fans everywhere, it’s amazing that Vitale has even reached this point.
Dick Vitale initially stepped away from the broadcast booth in 2021 after he announced he was being treated for melanoma. Just two month later he was diagnosed with lymphoma.
While it was initially thought that Vitale would return to the booth by the end of the college basketball season, disaster struck in December. The cancer spread to his vocal cords and he was left without the ability to speak for four months.
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For a broadcaster, losing his voice was the same as a pitcher losing his ability to throw or a runner losing feeling in his legs. Vitale did a few broadcasts, but was ultimately diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in July of 2023.
Vitale was finally declared cancer-free again in December of 2024, just two months ago.
Vitale, 85, hasn’t said how long he plans to continue to call games. His legacy has long-been cemented as the voice of college basketball.
Fans shouldn’t worry about how many more games Vitale will call. Instead, just sit back and enjoy a once-in-a-generation broadcaster call a game involving a potential once-in-a-generation player.
While all eyes will be on Flagg, all ears will hear Vitale.
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