Dick Vitale revealed Wednesday that he is cancer-free following a previously undisclosed bout with melanoma.
The 82-year-old broadcaster, known for his enthusiastic college basketball commentary on ESPN, said he learned of the skin disease earlier this summer while celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary in Hawaii.
“I was riding high,” the basketball Hall of Famer wrote on ESPN’s “Front Row” website. “Then came the scary news: a diagnosis that some skin they removed from above my nose had tested positive for melanoma. My heart sank.”
The Passaic, N.J. native and Seton Hall alum underwent surgery on June 28 to remove the growth from his nose before needing four additional procedures to “sew up the area on my face.”
The former college and basketball coach said he will be returning to ESPN this winter for what will be his 43rd season calling college basketball games.
“If you see or feel something, even if it’s bothering you or infected, get it evaluated,” Vitale said.