ESPN legend Dick Vitale underwent surgery Tuesday amid the 85-year-old’s latest battle with cancer.
The beloved college basketball announcer and retired coach revealed last week that his cancer had returned following a biopsy.
Facing his fourth cancer battle in three years, Vitale had surgery this week to remove the cancerous Lymph node and surrounding ones, announcing he is recovering in hospital.
‘I’m in recovery after my surgery & the surgeon Dr Vosler removed the Lymph node that was cancerous & surrounding lymph nodes which he sent for a pathology report he stated & was pleased with what took place,’ he posted to X, alongside a photo of him in a hospital bed giving a thumbs up to the camera.
‘Once again THANKS for all of your prayers,’ he added alongside a trio of prayer hand emojis.
ESPN legend Dick Vitale underwent surgery Tuesday amid his latest battle with cancer
Vitale has been a foundational peace of ESPN’s college basketball coverage since it’s inception
In August of 2021, Vitale revealed he was treated for melanoma, and was diagnosed with lymphoma in October of that year.
In August of 2022 he decaled he was ‘cancer free,’ only to have doctors diagnose him with vocal cord cancer in July of 2023.
In December he said he was, once again, cancer free following six weeks of radiation.
A former head coach at the University of Detroit from 1973 until 1977 who went on to coach the NBA’s Pistons for two seasons, the New Jersey native joined ESPN shortly after the network’s launch in 1979.
Since then, he has become synonymous with college basketball, coining terms like ‘diaper dandy’ (a good freshman player) and ‘PTPer’ (prime-time player) while helping to popularize the sport from coast to coast.
He was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Vitale has also raised money for cancer research through The V Foundation, which is named for his friend and former North Carolina State coach, Jim Valvano, who died from the disease in 1993.
