Dick Vitale, the legendary college basketball announcer has let it be known that he was diagnosed with cancer. Lymphoma was the diagnosis that Vitale shared he has and has already stated he will be fighting the cancer with steroids and six months of chemotherapy. Vitale has been a fixture calling some of the biggest college basketball games in the sport throughout the regular season.
The good news for fans of the sport is he will continue to call games as he plans to manage the treatment around his work schedule which has already begun to lighten up over the last handful of years. Vitale, who is 82 has been calling games for ESPN for over 40 years, joining the network just a few short months after the network first launched.
Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers and support as I plan on fighting with all my heart to win this battle. Please know I appreciate so much that you care. https://t.co/kw7y2oeywI
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) October 18, 2021
This news comes on the heels of when Vitale announced back in August of surgeries he underwent to remove melanoma. Many around the college basketball world were still shocked to hear the news with so many offering prayers and thoughts on social media. Vitale is a major supporter of former friend Jim Valvano’s charity the V Foundation to help fund the research to find a cure for cancer. Vitale also hosts a gala every summer to raise money for pediatric cancer research. All of this makes the news even more of a blow for a man who spends so much time and energy helping fight the cause that is this deadly disease.
