Dick Vitale had a feeling he’d cry before the big game between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 UCLA on Tuesday night. The Hall of Fame college basketball analyst hit the nail on the head. The tears began to flow immediately after the starting lineups were announced in a rematch of last season’s historic Final Four showdown.
Between chemotherapy for his lymphoma, which was diagnosed in October, Vitale is back on the sidelines calling the sport he’s been doing for 43 years.
When doctors first diagnosed Vitale with bile duct cancer, the 82-year-old assumed his days of yelling “awesome, baby!” were over.” I didn’t want to cry,” Vitale said alongside play-by-play man Dave O’Brien on the ESPN broadcast. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here right now. This is a huge thrill for me. I’d like to thank everyone who has sent me such lovely messages. I’d like to thank my family and all of the supporters. You’ve been incredible.”
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