College Sports

By The Associated Press, Associated Press

December 13, 2024

1 minute to read

Dick Vitale said he’s cancer-free after his fourth bout with the disease in just over three years.

The 85-year-old ESPN college basketball analyst announced Thursday on social media that he got the news after a morning scan.

“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER !” Vitale posted on X. “OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your (prayers). Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!”

Vitale had surgery in the summer to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck. He was previously treated for melanoma and lymphoma, and had radiation treatments last year for vocal cord cancer.

The Basketball Hall of Famer has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. The former college and NBA coach called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.

He’s also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research, helping friend Jim Valvano to the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano delivered his famous “Don’t give up” speech. Valvano died of adenocarcinoma less than two months later.

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