Dick Vitale has signed a multiyear contract extension with ESPN that will keep him on the airwaves through the 2027-28 season. The new deal will result in his broadcasting tenure with the company reaching nearly 50 years, and it also coincides with the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational. This college basketball event, created through a partnership between ESPN Events and the Charlotte Sports Foundation, will honor the Hall of Fame broadcaster and begin with a marquee matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Duke Blue Devils.
Vitale first joined ESPN in 1979 and has called more than 1,000 games for the network. Over the years, he has become synonymous with its college basketball coverage and receiving countless accolades from various institutions around the country.
“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!”
Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN, made the announcement of the invitational event at Vitale’s annual gala from Sarasota, Fla. Over the 20 years it has taken place, the gala has raised more than $105 million for the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund through the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Vitale divulged this past December that he was cancer-free after facing the disease for a fourth time, and he returned to the sidelines for the first time earlier this year after a two-year absence.
“Dick is the heart of college basketball, and his kindness, generosity and courage are a constant inspiration to us all,” 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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