Fans at Clemson shower Dick Vitale with love in return - ESPN

Dickie V is back, baby!

And fans at Clemson showed him just how much he was missed while he battled cancer.

Vitale returned to broadcasting for the first time in nearly two years for Saturday night's Duke-Clemson matchup on ESPN and received a lengthy ovation from fans, coaches and players at Littlejohn Coliseum at tipoff.

«Tonight, we celebrate the return of a true legend,» Clemson's in-arena announcer said, the applause from fans building with his every word. «For over four decades, his passion, energy and unmistakable voice have defined the game we love. After a two-year battle with cancer, he's back where he belongs. Courtside, calling the action and inspiring us all.

»Welcome back to college basketball, the ACC and Clemson, the one and only Dick Vitale."

Vitale, clearly overcome by emotion, waved back to the crowd in response.

«I want to say thanks to all the people,» Vitale said later in the game. «The reception here has been really off the charts. I'm sorry for being so emotional. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here.… This is like my Super Bowl. To be able to sit courtside and do a game, it beats the hell out of chemotherapy and radiation.

»And I want to say to all cancer patients out there: Please, think positive and have faith. And keep fighting and fighting."

Dick Vitale gets emotional about his first game back announcing after four battles with melanoma, lymphoma, vocal cord and lymph node cancers.

The 85-year-old Vitale announced he was cancer-free on Jan. 8.

He had battled four different types of cancer in the past 3½ years. Most recently, he underwent surgery in summer 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer.

Vitale's last game assignment was April 3, 2023, when he called the