ESPN’s Dick Vitale is not ready to call it quits just yet.
ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the network through the 2027-28 college basketball season. The network will also create a new college basketball event, the Dick Vitale Invitational, to be held annually in his honor.
The announcement was timed to coincide with Vitale’s 86th birthday on Monday. The new contract will take Vitale’s time at ESPN to close to 50 years.
Vitale has had multiple battles with cancer in recent years, which has limited his broadcast work. He missed part of last season, but was able to return in January and call a number of games throughout the conference schedule, primarily in the SEC.
Despite his advanced age and health, Vitale remains as enthusiastic as ever about his broadcasting work, and he has put in a lot of effort to be able to continue doing it. The fact that he has agreed to extend his contract to cover three more seasons suggests he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon, and that he plans to keep working as long as he physically can.
