Tag: Dick Vitale

Tom Gores: My wife, Holly, and I have …

It’s unbelievable! Former Rutgers basketball assistant, the legendary Dick Vitale, is cancer-free

Former Rutgers basketball assistant and ESPN legend Dick Vitale is cancer-free.

Dick Vitale is cancer-free.

A legend and one of the most beloved personalities in not just college basketball but the entire sports industry, Vitale announced to the world on his social media channels that he is now cancer-free. Vitale had been battling lymphoma, a diagnosis that he revealed this past October.

He did the traditional ringing of the bell at Sarasota Memorial Hospital where he received his treatment. The ringing of the bell is a long-standing tradition in many hospitals for patients who have completed treatment and are free of cancer.

Vitale’s roots in New Jersey are deep. The 82-year old Vitale was born in Passaic, attended Seton Hall, took his first coaching jobs at Garfield High School and then in East Rutherford. He then spent two seasons at Rutgers as an assistant under Dick Young.

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Rutgers men’s basketball sent Vitale a signed jersey this season to show their support for the legend.

 

Vitale then became a national name for his coaching job at Detroit, taking the program to the NCAA Tournament. He then spent a little over a season in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons before beginning a four-decade career at ESPN as one of their analysts and personalities.

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NCAA Tournament: Dick Vitale’s Final Four picks

Do you like Dickie V’s picks?

College basketball hasn’t felt quite the same this year as Dick Vitale hasn’t been able to announce games since before the new year because of complications from his battle with cancer.  The good news for all is that Vitale appears to be on the mend, in fact he even showed up at the SEC Tournament over the weekend.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be back in front of a TV camera giving his “Diaper Dandies” and “PTPers” anytime too soon, unfortunately.

However, Vitale did release his bracket picks on Sunday night.  See below to find out who the legendary commentator has winning each regional and ultimately cutting down the nets.

College basketball: Dick Vitale shares great news

Great news to start March, @dickieV!

If you’re a fan in the slightest of college basketball you’re familiar with commentator Dick Vitale.  The man has an energy for life that is matched by very few and a love for college basketball that is second to none.

Vitale, 82, has been battling cancer and had to miss the majority of the 2021-22 college basketball season as a result.  He’s been very open on social media about the entire battle and provided inspiration and the sense of community for those facing similar situations.

On Tuesday, Dickie-V shared the best possible news any of us could have hoped for during March Madness:

Now that’s “AWESOME WITH A CAPITAL A!”

Vitale has helped raise over $44 million dollars to fight pediatric cancer over the years.  Vitale’s annual gala event occurs this coming May as that incredible number will continue to climb.

You can find ways to donate to Vitale’s fundraising efforts by visiting his webpage.

Related:

ACC men’s basketball tournament championships by program

Twitter reacts to Notre Dame’s upset win over Kentucky

Twitter is abuzz after the biggest moment of the season.

Notre Dame has been looking for anything to turn this season around, and it might have just found it. A 66-62 upset win over No. 10 Kentucky not only puts the Irish back at .500, but it provides a confidence boost in just about everybody. If you don’t believe us, look no further than Twitter. It was full of videos and reactions in the aftermath of this big moment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Dick Vitale’s emotional return to broadcasting on ESPN after cancer diagnosis

He was back for Gonzaga-UCLA.

Just over a month ago, the legendary Dick Vitale revealed to the world that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, the second cancer diagnosis he had received this year (he announced he had melanoma in August).

But that didn’t stop him from working as he gets treatment.

With Gonzaga and UCLA playing on Tuesday night, Vitale returned to the air with ESPN, and when he was introduced on the air by Dave O’Brien, he was in tears.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here,” he said. “This really is a big thrill for me. I want to thank all you people, sent me so many great messages, ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro, all my buddies at ESPN. I want to thank certainly, my family and all the fans. You’ve been unbelievable.”

And here’s him calling a Chet Holmgren dunk:

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Watch: Notre Dame quarterback has message for Dick Vitale

Awesome, baby!

Dick Vitale’s love for Notre Dame isn’t something the legendary college basketball commentator shies away from.  He wears his love for the Fighting Irish and University on his sleeve, has had several family members attend Notre Dame, and spends a good amount of his free time soaking up football Saturday’s on campus.

Vitale recently announced he’s again battling cancer, the second time he’s done so in just months.  The announcement came just a couple of weeks after Vitale was in South Bend for the Notre Dame-Cincinnati game.

On Friday, Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan had a message for Vitale that made the man that usually has so much to say, practically speechless.

The message was short, sweet and very well-received by Vitale.

All the best to Dickie V in this ongoing battle.  You’re awesome and got this, baby!

Related:

Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: Game predictions

What the experts are predicting between Notre Dame and North Carolina

 

Twitter reacts to Notre Dame’s win over USC

Notre Dame is riding high after reasserting itself as the dominant team of late in its rivalry with USC. After a one-year absence, the excitement for this matchup had not dwindled, and it was great to see the game play out as it did. There will come …

Notre Dame is riding high after reasserting itself as the dominant team of late in its rivalry with USC. After a one-year absence, the excitement for this matchup had not dwindled, and it was great to see the game play out as it did. There will come a season in which the Irish lose to the Trojans again, but 2021 will not be the year. So the only thing to do is celebrate.

Here are some Irish fans who reacted to this game for better or worse: