ESPN signs legendary broadcaster, 86, to contract extension
Dick Vitale, who joined ESPN in 1979, isn't leaving the network anytime soon.
The legendary voice of college basketball on ESPN has agreed to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season, the network announced Monday.
“Dick is the heart of college basketball, and his kindness, generosity and courage are a constant inspiration to us all,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Through the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, we will celebrate him and his profound impact on the sport. We are also thrilled that Dick will remain a signature voice on ESPN through the 2027-28 season.”
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Vitale, 86, has a chance to reach 50 years with the network and call games as a 90-year-old.
Vitale has already called more than 1,000 games since joining ESPN.
“ESPN has been such a vital part of my life since December 5, 1979, and I was so thrilled to learn that ESPN Events will have an annual Dick Vitale Invitational,” Vitale said in a statement. “Jimmy Pitaro and all my colleagues and friends at ESPN have been so good to me and I am so thankful for all of the prayers and love I have received from them during my cancer battles. ESPN has been family to me and has given me a life that has been even better than my dreams. To the Vitale family, ESPN is ‘Awesome, baby’ with a capital A!”
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ESPN also announced the inaugural "Dick Vitale Invitational," a game scheduled for Nov. 4 between Texas and Duke at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
Last November, Vitale announced the vocal cord cancer that kept him off-air for part of the 2023 season was gone. The Basketball Hall of Famer returned in February.
"I can't tell you how much it's meant to me. Really, it's been unbelievable."@DickieV gets emotional thanking the fans and the broadcast for supporting him through his cancer treatments ❤️ pic.twitter.com/F8ndycDWC8
— ESPN (@espn) March 16, 2025
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