The Thrill of Sports: The Return of Dickie V

This past Tuesday, November 23rd, college basketball analyst Dick Vitale returned to courtside as No.1 Gonzaga played No. 2 UCLA in men’s basketball at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He announced the game along with his co-host, sportscaster Dave O’Brien. Due to the Covid19 pandemic and having two types of cancer, Dick had not been in a gym to announce a game for over a year and a half -- since doing the March 10, 2020 game between Gonzaga and Mount St. Mary’s. Dickie V’s return was very emotional, very welcome by college basketball fans like me, and big sports news, as you can see in the News 4 Today video below.

It started Dick’s 43rd season of announcing men’s basketball games for ESPN. He called the first college basketball game ever broadcast by ESPN, on December 5, 1979, when DePaul defeated Wisconsin, 90-77. Before Tuesday’s game, he thanked everyone who sent him well wishes, and his family, fans, and friends at ESPN for getting him back courtside to do this game. See the video just below. After the game, he tweeted, "It was a night I will always treasure."

Dick had surgeries this past summer to remove melanoma from his body, and then on October 12th, his doctors told him that he had a more serious cancer, bile duct cancer, which would require major surgery and had only about a 30% five year survival rate. He worried that he would not be alive long enough to see his five grandchildren graduate from high school and college. His bile duct surgery was scheduled. Then one evening, Dickie V received a call from his doctors who said that the latest scan indicated that he did not have bile duct cancer, but instead, had lymphoma, which has a 90% cure rate. The doctor told him “Santa Claus came early for you”. Dick requires chemotherapy treatments over the next six months, but doctors said he could safely return courtside and announce games. Dickie V said that returning to announce college basketball games was the perfect medicine for him. He said of his fans, “You have given me a career that has exceeded any dream I’ve ever had”. His late Mom’s words of wisdom, “Don’t ever believe in can’t, Richie”, are his motto in his battle to beat cancer.

Dickie V Salutes the Crowd - Nov. 23, 2021

Over his many years of calling college basketball games, Dick Vitale has risen to national prominence, but did you know that he is from my home state of New Jersey, and grew up there. He graduated from Seton Hall University, yes that Seton Hall, that recently beat #4 Michigan and is now ranked #21. He was a successful NJ high school head coach and won two state championships. Dick was also an assistant basketball coach for two years at Rutgers University, and recruited some of the best players on the 1975-76 Rutgers Final Four team.

The Rutgers head coaching job became available in 1973 while he was there, and even though he was so sure of himself that he said he would coach the team for his assistant coach’s salary for the first year, he was not chosen. He left Rutgers, accepted the head coaching position at the University of Detroit, coached there for four years, and lead Detroit to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 1976-77. He even coached in the NBA as head coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1978-79. After he left the Pistons, he was offered a TV job at the recently created ESPN cable network, and the rest is history.

Dickie V is knowledgeable in college basketball, and his passion for the game shows in his colorful and exciting announcing. He is known for catch phrases such as “Awesome Baby”, “diaper dandy” (freshman star) , “PTP’er” (prime time performer), and “All Windex Performer” (ferocious rebounder), to name a few.

Dickie V has received many honors for his achievements and contributions. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2018. He has also written nine books, including one children’s book.

The V Foundation - Scott Van Pelt and Dick Vitale

Dickie V is on the Board of Directors for The V Foundation, a non-profit organization with the goal of finding a cure for cancer. It was founded in 1993 by ESPN and Dick’s friend, the late Jim Valvano. The Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Fund has raised over 44 million dollars to fight childhood cancer. Dickie V’s chemo is scheduled to end by next May, and he is optimistic his annual “Dick Vitale Gala” in May 2022 will raise another 6 million for pediatric cancer, which would push his pediatric cancer fund over the 50 million mark. Dick said “I’m hoping and praying I can say to that crowd (at the gala) I’m cancer free”. I’m hoping the same thing.

Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, recently said these kind words about Dickie V, “Dick Vitale is a one-of-a-kind treasure as a broadcaster and human being. His love for family and tireless passion to help people in need, especially children, truly define his greatness. He is beloved by his ESPN family and has our full support.”

As a Duke college basketball fan, I’ve heard Dickie V on a gazillion broadcasts over the years. He is one of my favorite college basketball color commentators. Some may think him over the top, but I love his passion and enthusiasm for the game. In my opinion, when it comes to college basketball analysts, Dickie V is an all-time PTP’er! And he’s a genuinely good guy too! I wish him a speedy and complete recovery from his lymphoma, and it would be “Awesome Baby” if he can call college basketball games for many years to come.

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I've included some additional videos and a photo so that you might better get to know Dick Vitale, his public speaking, and his announcing style.