Dick Vitale announced on Wednesday that he has vocal cord cancer and will need 6 weeks of radiation to treat it. Vitale will battle cancer for a 3rd time as he also said he would win this battle like he did twice previously.
“I plan to fight like hell to be ready to call games when the college hoops season tips off in the Fall,” Vitale wrote in a statement posted to social media.
Vitale, 84, has publicly shared health updates regularly, including doctor visits, motivation tips, prayers and photos, and shared support from fans and coaches. Vitale explained that he would be on “on total voice rest for 6-8 weeks” while recovering from a July 11 procedure.
Vitale, who has been with ESPN since 1979, has been synonymous with ESPN’s college basketball coverage since he called the network’s first college basketball broadcast.
In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he had multiple surgeries to remove melanoma. Last year, he announced that he was cancer-free.
This is an update on my meeting today with Dr ZEITELS. Though I was disappointed with the pathology report, I plan on winning this battle like I did vs Melanoma & Lymphoma ! pic.twitter.com/pu61XJSm43
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 12, 2023
