Dick Vitale health issues: Why ESPN college basketball broadcaster has been away two years

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Dick Vitale is one of college basketball’s defining and most enduring figures.

After coaching for 16 years, Vitale joined ESPN in 1979, only a few months into the network’s existence, and began calling college basketball games. In the years and decades that followed, his energy, exuberance and charisma made him one of the faces of the game.

He has helped provide the soundtrack for some of the sport’s most thrilling games and most unforgettable moments. His catchphrases like “diaper dandy” (an outstanding freshman) and “PTPer” (prime-time player) have been etched in the minds of any college basketball fan.

Over the past several years, though, Vitale hasn’t been the same kind of fixture of ESPN’s college basketball coverage as he was for so long, with other analysts sitting courtside for the network’s biggest games. Vitale has had to step away from his on-air duties several times since 2021, when he first announced that he had undergone treatment to remove melanoma.

His worst days and biggest health scares are hopefully behind him. After being away for nearly two full years, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer will be on the call for No. 2 Duke’s game Saturday at No. 21 Clemson, marking his celebrated and much-anticipated return.

REQUIRED READING: Dick Vitale will call his first college basketball game in almost two years Saturday

Before that game tips off and Vitale’s unmistakable voice once again reaches the ears of millions of fans nationwide, here’s a closer look at why he has been away:

Dick Vitale cancer battle

In August 2021, about three months before the start of the college basketball season, Vitale announced that he had undergone surgery over the summer to remove melanoma, though once the growth was removed, it was found to not have spread elsewhere.

Two months later, however, Vitale had another health-related announcement, this time revealing he had been diagnosed with lymphoma. For that, Vitale had to endure a more rigorous treatment…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dick-vitale-health-issues-why-113022506.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-08 11:30:00

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