Dick Vitale Gala raises record $12.4 million for V Foundation, Rick Barnes earns Spirit Award

Another Dick Vitale Gala is in the books — and this year, it was a historic fundraising event for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which is named after legendary late college hoops coach Jim Valvano, who started it as part of his 1993 ESPY’s speech shortly before he passed from cancer himself.

Vitale and his group were able to raise a whopping $12.4 at the event this time around, which easily broke last year’s record. Of course, Dicky V was over the moon about the news, tweeting afterwards:

“All I can say it was a incredible amazing GALA ⁦@TheVFoundation⁩ as I won my NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. We raised OMG thanks to all that donated this year $12.4 MILLION DOLLARS for Pediatric Cancer Research!”

That 12.4 million helped add up to a $310 million total amount donated since the inception of the V Foundation. Incredible work by Vitale and all involved. This year also marked the 40th anniversary of the NC State’s National Championship in 1983 under Coach Valvano, as well as the 30th anniversary of Valvano’s speech and the V Foundation’s creation. A record-setting evening of fundraising was only fitting.

Vitale just couldn’t get enough of the generosity and tweeted a number of times thanking folks who had donated, at one point writing: “Wow what a night – AWE of all of the support this year in Helping us raise $12.4 MILLION dollars for @TheVFoundation to help kids vs cancer Thanks so so so much.”

The Herald-Tribune reported that Vitale also handed out his own award, the Dick Vitale Spirit Award, at the event. Apparently, he gave it to a pretty high-profile SEC basketball coach. Read right below to see who it was and why:

“Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes was presented The Dick Vitale Spirit Award. Every day last year, for five months, as Vitale battled health issues, Barnes sent him a daily prayer via text. ‘Encouraging and inspiring me,’ Vitale said, ‘and many of those times it was when I was down, laying in a hospital. It gave me a lift.'”

Vitale has been fighting his own cancer over the last few years — and it’s almost fitting, after so many years of fighting for cancer donation and research himself, Dicky V is now walking the walk and showing folks how to deal with the awful disease while still maintaining that enthusiasm for life that Jimmy V talked about three decades ago.

A round of applause for one of college basketball’s finest, Dick Vitale, as he continues to do commendable work on the cancer research front.