For generations of college basketball fans, Dick Vitale has been the voice of the sport. That's why his two-year absence from broadcasting due to multiple battles with cancer has left a hole in the college hoops world.
Fortunately, Vitale is ready to return to the airwaves and he'll make his long-awaited broadcast comeback Saturday night when Clemson hosts No. 2 Duke at Littlejohn Coliseum in what could be the game of the year in the ACC.
It has been a long road back for the 85-year-old television legend. He last called a game in April of 2023 and since then, he's battled four different forms of cancer.
What's more, last month he fell at his home in Florida. That incident delayed his return to television as he was supposed to call Duke's game at Wake Forest on January 25.
Vitale joined the ESPN broadcasting team in the 1979-80 season following a college and professional coaching career. Since then, he's become the most familiar and enthusiastic voice in college basketball broadcasting. In 2008 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I’m living the American dream,” Vitale once said. “I learned from my mom and dad, who didn’t have a formal education, but had doctorates of love. They told me that if you gave 110 percent all the time, a lot of beautiful things will happen. I may not always be right, but no one can ever accuse me of not having a genuine love and passion for whatever I do. And ESPN has been grateful enough to recognize this.”
He is known for his unforgettable sayings such as "Awesome, baby!", "diaper dandy", "P-T-Per", and "Take a T.O., baby!". Phrases such as those and his undeniable love for the game have endeared him to millions of sports fans across the nation.
That's why his return is so great for the sport. And he's going to have the opportunity to call one of the most important ACC games of the season.
With No. 2 Duke sitting at 11-0 and Clemson at 10-1 in the ACC standings as of Monday, Saturday's game could give the winning team the inside track to the league's regular-season title (assuming that Clemson beats Georgia Tech on Tuesday and Duke beats Syracuse on Wednesday).
It will be a massive game for both teams given that it is the only time they will meet in the regular season. And what better way to broadcast such a huge contest than to have Vitale on the call? It's going to be "Awesome, baby!".