ESPN releasing documentary on Dick Vitale this month

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson07/06/22

MrsTylerKSR

On July 20, Dick Vitale will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS. On the same day, ESPN Films will release a documentary titled “Dickie V” on ESPN+. The 80-minute film will be directed by Nick Nanton and follow Vitale’s career as a coach to his start at ESPN in 1979, which led to 40-plus years in the industry and his reputation as the voice of college basketball. It will also cover his recent battles with lymphoma and melanoma. In May, the 82-year-old rang the bell to celebrate being cancer-free after his final round of chemotherapy.

According to ESPN, the film features more than 40 original interviews with figures like Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Charles Barkley, John Calipari, Robin Roberts, Chris Berman, and Mike Tirico. You can see part of Cal’s interview in the trailer below:

“Everyone knows the Dick Vitale that shows up with an energetic smile and enthusiastic conversation, but there is so much more to his character beyond his ‘Vitale-isms’,” said Nanton, who produced the film under his Astonish Entertainment label in association with The Montag Group. “In the process of making this film, I realized that his tenacity and heartfelt personality came from a place of deep hurt and a desire to help anyone who had felt the depths of loss he had felt. From childhood bullying by his peers due to the loss of his left eye, to a meteoric rise in coaching, only to be unceremoniously ousted from his dream job as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, to a ‘second career’ in broadcasting that turned out to be his true calling, Vitale’s journey of resilience is one that I know will resonate universally. His is a story of loss, triumph, giving and humanity. It’s one I simply had to tell.”

“Dickie V” will premiere on ESPN+ on July 20 and ESPN on Saturday, July 23 at 4 p.m. ET.

Dickie V to receive Jimmy V Award at the ESPYS

In May, Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content Jimmy Pitaro announced that Vitale will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS on Wednesday, July 20. The news came at Vitale’s annual gala, which raised over $11 million for pediatric cancer research at the V Foundation. The honor is especially fitting considering Vitale’s close friendship with Jim Valvano, who passed away in 1993 from metastatic adenocarcinoma. Less than two months before Valvano’s death, Vitale presented him with the first-ever Jimmy V Award, which prompted the historic speech that launched the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

“The award is given to a member of the sports world who has overcome great obstacles through determination,” Pitaro said. “Dick is so deserving of this incredible honor presented in the memory of his friend, Jim Valvano. It is fitting that we will present this award to Dick nearly 30 years after he presented it to Jimmy V at the first ESPYS in 1993. That night, Jimmy delivered the historic speech that publicly launched the V Foundation and since then, no one has done more for this great cause than Dick.”

Yesterday, Vitale tweeted that he expects his doctors to clear him to speak at the event next week.

Not gonna be a dry eye in the house, baby!

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-18