Dick Vitale, former ESPN basketball analyst, said on social media that he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fourth time.
Vitale announced Friday that a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck revealed cancer. He is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
“With all the (prayers) I have received and the loving support from my family, friends and ESPN colleagues, I will win this fight,” Vitale said on social media.
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Vitale, 85, has previously been treated for melanoma and lymphoma. Last year, he also underwent six weeks of radiation when tests revealed he had vocal cord cancer.
Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. The former coach called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast. He is also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research.
Vitale helped friend Jim Valvano onto the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano delivered his famous “Don’t Give Up” speech. Valvano died of adenocarcinoma less than two months later.
