“IT BROKE HIS HEART”: Why ESPN’s Decision to Bench Dick Vitale from Duke-UNC Still Hurts Fans AND the Legend Himself
Legendary college basketball commentator Dick Vitale was taken off the lineup for the Duke and North Carolina matchups a decade
It’s hard to think of college basketball and not think of Dick Vitale, the legendary commentator who has sat courtside for some of the most memorable moments in the sport.
For nearly four decades, Vitale was an integral part of the rivalry matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils, his voice a constant presence in the beloved (or despised) in-state games.
In 2015, ESPN’s then-president John Skipper decided to replace Vitale with his go-to college basketball guy, Jay Bilas. Reportedly, Vitale was just as upset over the decision as college basketball fans across the country.
“That really, deeply hurt him,” an anonymous colleague told Sports Business Journal’s Tom Ford.
Vitale didn’t leave the network when the change took place; he stayed and continued to commentate on some of the biggest games in the country, just not the UNC-Duke rivalry.
Don’t get confused, Bilas is a great basketball commentator and analyst. There is a reason ESPN loves him. However, he doesn’t have the same aura that Vitale does. He doesn’t have the “Oh, baby!” and “Dipsy-doo dunk-a-roo” catchphrases that Vitale does.
Of course, just a few years later, Vitale was devastatingly diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2021 and had to take a big step back from the sport. He has missed a lot of time and a lot of games. In February 2025, Vitale made his triumphant return to the sidelines
Dick Vitale’s history with the Duke Blue Devils
On February 8, Vitale was part of the ESPN crew for the Blue Devils’ game against the Clemson Tigers, where he received all the love he deserved.
Vitale joined ESPN in 1979, when he made his first-ever appearance as the commentator for a Duke-North Carolina game. In 2018, when he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, he spoke with George Bodenheimer, a longtime ESPN executive.
He asked Bodenheimer if he could return to the Duke-UNC games, only to learn that Bodenheimer no longer held his position at the network.
Vitale’s contract with ESPN runs through the 2027-28 season, so he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. This season, he is set to be part of the broadcast for the new Dick Vitale Invitational, which will feature Duke and Texas on Nov. 4.
