Dickie V is back, baby!
And fans at Clemson showed him just how much he was missed while he battled cancer.
Vitale returned to broadcasting for the first time in nearly two years for Saturday night’s Duke-Clemson matchup on ESPN and received a lengthy ovation from fans, coaches and players at Littlejohn Coliseum at tipoff.
“Tonight, we celebrate the return of a true legend,” Clemson’s in-arena announcer said, the applause from fans building with his every word. “For over four decades, his passion, energy and unmistakable voice have defined the game we love. After a two-year battle with cancer, he’s back where he belongs. Courtside, calling the action and inspiring us all.
“Welcome back to college basketball, the ACC and Clemson, the one and only Dick Vitale.”
Vitale, clearly overcome by emotion, waved back to the crowd in response.
“I want to say thanks to all the people,” Vitale said later in the game. “The reception here has been really off the charts. I’m sorry for being so emotional. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here. … This is like my Super Bowl. To be able to sit courtside and do a game, it beats the hell out of chemotherapy and radiation.
“And I want to say to all cancer patients out there: Please, think positive and have faith. And keep fighting and fighting.”
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Emotional Dickie V on his return: This is my Super Bowl
Dick Vitale gets emotional about his first game back announcing after four battles with melanoma, lymphoma, vocal cord and lymph node cancers.
Vitale got to call quite a game in his return, as Clemson handed No. 2 Duke its first ACC loss, 77-71.
The 85-year-old Vitale announced he was cancer-free on Jan. 8.
He had battled four different types of cancer in the past 3½ years. Most recently, he underwent surgery in summer 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer.
Vitale’s last game assignment was April 3, 2023, when he called the international broadcast of the San Diego State vs. UConn national championship game for ESPN.
His return to calling games had been postponed due to an accident at his home. He previously was set to call the Duke-Wake Forest game on Jan. 25, which would have been his first time on air since 2023, but he announced that he had been hospitalized after a fall at his Florida home.
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.
