LOOK: Dick Vitale returns to television for Champions Classic games

College basketball icon and world-famous color commentator Dick Vitale made his return to television after an extended absence on Tuesday night. After stepping away from his role on the sideline of the NCAA’s biggest games for ESPN to battle lymphoma, he defeated cancer and concluded chemotherapy in April, clearing the way for his return.

Dick Vitale joined play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman on the broadcast for the neutral site matchup between Kentucky and Michigan State in a battle of blue bloods coached by Hall of Famers. The second game of the night will feature Duke and Kansas in an early season Top 25 matchup.

The goat is back 🐐

For the first time since beating cancer, Dick Vitale is on the call 🥹

Welcome back, Dickie V ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xxQh9VYlNA

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) November 16, 2022

The return of college basketball’s most recognizable voice is a welcomed sight which sparked a response from many fans on social media. The return of marquee games is made complete with another Hall of Fame figure in the building once again to be a part of it.

More about Dick Vitale, cancer battle

Vitale has been chronicling his journey through cancer treatment since his lymphoma diagnosis in October of last year. He managed to call a few college basketball games last season, including Dayton’s buzzer-beating game-winner over Kansas last fall. But he ended having to step away from the microphone in January to rest his vocal cords. That led to a wealth of support from across the college basketball world — and many across the landscape chimed in on Twitter to celebrate the milestone in his journey.

As recently as March, Vitale still was not able to talk. Prior to Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, ESPN shared the letter he wrote to Coach K — and Vitale’s good friend and coworker Dave Pasch provided the voiceover.

Vitale has been a staple at ESPN since joining the network 41 years ago. He coached at the college level as an assistant at Rutgers and served as Detroit Mercy’s head coach from 1973-77. Vitale served as the Detroit Pistons head coach from 1978-79 before he got a microphone in his hand, eventually becoming one of the most beloved figures in college basketball. This was his second battle with cancer, and once again, he came out on top.