Legendary college basketball voice Dick Vitale was on the call Saturday for the No. 4 Duke vs. No. 20 Clemson game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and there’s nowhere else in the world he’d want to be.
Vitale, who has been battling cancer and had to step away from broadcasting on several occasions over the last few years, said during the game that the best medicine he’s received throughout that process has been being able to get back behind a mic.
“Very emotional day for me, three years battling that vicious cancer,” Vitale said, via On3. “To come back and get the greeting that I did from the beautiful fans that were there, Clemson fans treated me like royalty. I want to say thank you for that because being here — and I’ve said this so often — is the greatest medicine in the world. I was telling Jon today, talking to Coach Scheyer. I said, ‘You know what? There’s nothing like — they can give me all the medicine they want, the doctors. But being in an arena and being with guys like you, who love the game, is just the greatest high I can get.’
“I mean that sincerely. I love basketball, love it dearly. It’s been great to me, obviously.”
Vitale won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Last year, he agreed to a new extension with ESPN that will keep him with the network through the 2027-28 season. That deal also puts him on track to work with the Worldwide Leader for 50 years. ESPN Events and the Charlotte Sports Foundation also launched the Dick Vitale Invitational, an annual men’s college hoops showcase.
The longtime college basketball commentator will also get the chance to call his first NCAA Tournament game this year when he teams up with Charles Barkley for a First Four game in March.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.