Dick Vitale Tells OutKick He's Nearing 'Personal National Championship,' Weighs In On Caitlin

Dick Vitale has gone through so much and waited so long to announce college basketball games again on ESPN that he almost can't contain himself. 

But he can't talk about it right now.

"I can only text," Vitale texted to OutKick on Tuesday afternoon - a day after his doctor announced how "beautifully" his vocal cord reconstruction surgery recently went and that he can likely return "in the fall" to broadcasting.

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Dr. Steven Zeitels, the director of Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for laryngeal surgery/voice rehabilitation and Harvard Medical School's professor of that surgery, told Vitale he can only talk when absolutely necessary for the next several weeks or months until he builds his voice strength back.

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale expects to be doing games again in the 2024-25 season after missing all the 2023-24 season and parts of the previous two seasons with cancer. (Getty Images).

"Doc wants me to only do what I must do verbally," Vitale texted. 

Vitale, 85, started calling games for ESPN in its first year in December of 1979. He last called games in the 2022-23 season. Vitale cut his 2021-22 season short after doing No. 2 Baylor's win over No. 6 Villanova on Dec. 12, 2021, as he had been battling melanoma and lymphoma since the previous September.

But he expects to be back at or close to full strength and voice in the 2024-25 season.

"My goal, if everything proceeds as we hope, will be a game in November," Vitale texted to OutKick. "The best medicine I can receive would be sitting courtside talking basketball. That would be my PERSONAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP."

All that was missing was, "BABY."

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Vitale has basically gone through triple overtime marathons of cancer treatments to get to where he is.

"I have battled melanoma, lymphoma and vocal cord cancer," Vitale texted. "I had six months of chemotherapy for lymphoma and 35 radiation treatments for vocal cord cancer. In all my cases, I was declared cancer free, but in my vocal cord situation, the radiation wiped out the cancer, but created problems with the vocal cords."

That was where Dr. Zeitels came in for the vocal cord reconstruction.

Dick Vitale was the Detroit Pistons' head coach in 1978 and '79 before coming to ESPN. (Getty Images).

"Working now with speech therapy exercises to get strength back in my voice," Vitale texted. 

Vitale turned down an invitation from CBS to work NCAA Tournament games last season because of his loyalty to ESPN. The sports network startup took a chance on a 34-60 Detroit Pistons head coach who was fired 12 games into the 1979-80 season after going 30-52 the previous year.

Dick Vitale Treated Like "Royalty"

"ESPN has treated me like royalty contractually over the years," Vitale texted. "Jimmy Pitaro (ESPN president) and his staff have been so supportive in every way in my three various battles with cancer."

FOX Sports college football and basketball play-by-play veteran Tim Brando worked with Vitale at ESPN in the 1980s. 

"We're all praying his trademark sound will be found by the time the leaves turn in November," Brando told OutKick Tuesday night. "College basketball has missed his energy. I sincerely hope he gets to finish his career the way he wants to. Nobody needs college basketball more than Dickie V. And college basketball needs him back."

In the meantime, Vitale will be doing what millions of other college basketball fans have been doing - watching Caitlin Clark.

"She has been without a doubt a major boost for TV ratings," Vitale texted. "And crowds that have been superb for WNBA. She is multi-talented and is a box office bonanza, which is going to create a better environment for all the players."

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