A new annual men’s college basketball event will honor Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale.
ESPN Events, in collaboration with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, announced the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational on Vitale’s 86th birthday.
The inaugural event will take place on Tuesday, November 4 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. and will feature the Texas Longhorns taking on the Duke Blue Devils.
“ESPN has been such a vital part of my life since December 5, 1979, and I was so thrilled to learn that ESPN Events will have an annual Dick Vitale Invitational,” said Vitale. “Jimmy Pitaro and all my colleagues and friends at ESPN have been so good to me and I am so thankful for all of the prayers and love I have received from them during my cancer battles. ESPN has been family to me and has given me a life that has been even better than my dreams. To the Vitale family, ESPN is ‘Awesome, baby’ with a capital A!”
“Dick is the heart of college basketball, and his kindness, generosity and courage are a constant inspiration to us all,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “Through the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, we will celebrate him and his profound impact on the sport.”
ESPN also announced that Vitale has a new multi-year contract through the 2027-28 season, which will extend his tenure with the company to nearly 50 years. Since joining ESPN during its first year in 1979, Vitale has called more than 1,000 games. His countless accolades include induction into the Naismith Basketball and Sports Broadcasting Halls of Fame. Most recently, he received the prestigious Dean Smith Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and was introduced by former ESPN President George Bodenheimer as The New York Athletic Club’s Winged Foot Award recipient.
Off the court, his tireless dedication to the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund has resulted in the V Foundation presenting over $105 million in research grants advancing childhood cancer treatments and care.
