Dick Vitale will receive Jimmy V Award at the ESPYS
Ready for some awesome news, baby? Every year, Dick Vitale raises millions of dollars for pediatric cancer research. Now, after surviving his own cancer battle, Dickie V will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS in July. Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content Jimmy Pitaro announced the news at Vitale’s annual gala on Friday, which raised over $11 million for Vitale’s fund for pediatric cancer at the V Foundation.
“He took us inside his hospital rooms so we could all learn from him and experience firsthand what he was going through,” Pitaro said of Vitale’s battles with lymphoma and melanoma. “During his most frightening days, he wanted people to understand the challenges and to remove the stigmas. All along with the support of his loved ones, his ESPN family, and millions of caring fans, Dick pushed through. It was not easy, yet, he persevered. And it is in that spirit that I’m so grateful to share some news here tonight. I would like to announce that Dick has been selected to receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at this year’s ESPYS.”
As Pitaro noted, 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.”
“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up!”
Last month, the 82-year-old legendary sportscaster rang the bell to celebrate being cancer-free after his final round of chemotherapy. Cancer treatments and vocal cord surgery forced Vitale to miss most of the 2021-22 college basketball season. In March, Vitale said his PET scans showed that there was no cancer in his body. A couple of days later, he met up with John Calipari during the SEC Tournament in Tampa, FL.
“It was RING THE BELL TIME!” Vitale tweeted on April 14. “Yes it was a tough 7 months but it was super hearing Dr. Brown say that I have zero cancer currently. I was inspired daily by the famous words of my late buddy Jimmy V ‘Don’t Give up DON’T EVER GIVE UP!’”
Amen. The room’s gonna be dusty when Vitale accepts the award at the ESPYS on July 20.
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