- April 28, 2026
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Dick Vitale had a special request for Tom Izzo on Dec. 6, 2000.
He asked the Michigan State men’s basketball coach if he could speak with the team after its victory over Florida.
The Spartans, the defending national champions, won 99-83 with 27 points from Zach Randolph, who came off the bench.
So when Vitale walked into their locker room, his first words were — “That was awesome, baby!”
He also told Randolph he wanted the then-freshman to stay in school.
But the next night, when the ESPN broadcaster called a different game, he lauded Randolph as a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Izzo picked up the phone.
“Hey Dick, you were just telling him how he should stay in school,” Izzo said.
To this day, “Awesome, baby!” remains the coach’s favorite Vitale-ism — one of multiple signature phrases — because of that moment nearly three decades ago.
The two will reconnect May 1 at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota for the 21st annual Dick Vitale Gala, where Izzo will receive the Dick Vitale Spirit Award. Vitale, a Lakewood Ranch resident, hopes to raise $12 million for pediatric cancer research via The V Foundation.
Other honorees are Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and broadcast journalist Katie Couric. Breast cancer survivor Jamie Valvano will receive the John Saunders Courage Award.
Now 86, Vitale announced April 13 he was diagnosed with melanoma in his lung and liver cavity. He’s won previous battles with melanoma, lymphoma, vocal cord cancer and lymph node cancer, and had been cancer-free since December 2024.
Pediatric cancer research is his passion project. He’s raised $105.4 million for the cause, and while in-between immunotherapy treatments May 1, will advocate for it again.
“We always look for difference-makers and people who do things with passion,” Izzo said. “I've got a line that I say, ‘Do you like what you do, love what you do, or live what you do?’ Dick Vitale lives what he does with more passion than maybe anybody I’ve known.”
Both figures are royalty in the sport. Vitale and Izzo were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and 2016, respectively, and their careers have yet to end.
Izzo is entering his 32nd season at the helm of the Spartans — the longest-tenured active coach exclusively at an NCAA Division I men’s basketball program. In the history of the Big Ten Conference, he’s the sport’s winningest coach.
Vitale has been with ESPN for 46 years running as a college basketball broadcaster. He called a game as recently as March 17 alongside Charles Barkley, when Texas played NC State for a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.
“I’m trying to catch Dick, but I’m not going to catch him,” Izzo said. “I’m not staying in this as long as he’s done it with TV.”
He knew of Vitale before taking the job at Michigan State, but between 1998 and 2002, their relationship blossomed.
Across those four seasons, the Spartans posted a record of 112-29 and reached three consecutive Final Fours. In 2000, they secured the second NCAA title in program history.
Vitale was a regular voice behind the team’s televised dunks, jumpers and 3-pointers. His enthusiasm was part of the soundtrack to wins and losses alike.
But as Izzo remained on the sidelines up through the 2020s, it became difficult for Vitale to do the same. He was diagnosed with melanoma in August 2021 — the first of five cancer battles.
The ever-spinning carousel that is college basketball didn’t stop Izzo from taking time to send notes of encouragement to Vitale throughout those trying times.
“I stayed in touch because of respect. I stayed in touch because of admiration,” Izzo said. “I stayed in touch because I know that it can happen to any one of us. I just appreciated the way he came out, the way he attacked it, the way he fought it (and) the way he beat it.”
Fundraising for cancer research is an initiative the legendary coach has cared about — well before he was selected as an honoree for this year’s gala.
Izzo and his wife, Lupe Izzo, have long advocated for Coaches vs. Cancer, a partnership between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was the recipient of the foundation’s Champion Award in 2009.
The disease has taken several people close to him. His wife’s mother, Francisca Marinez, died from cancer in 2011. So did former NBA coach Flip Saunders in 2015, who was a close friend of Izzo’s.
He also witnessed Lacey Holsworth, an 8-year-old girl, build a bond with former Michigan State forward Adreian Payne before her 2014 death from cancer.
Those experiences gave Izzo perspective on the dark reality of the disease. They gave him all the more reason to appreciate Vitale's tireless fundraising efforts.
It's an appreciation that extends to the way the longtime broadcaster leads his life.
“Entitlement is creeping into our sport. Entitlement is creeping into a lot of things that are going on right now,” Izzo said. “And Dick has taught me there's no entitlement in life. You get what you deserve. You work at it."
The Spartans' coach will step up to the podium May 1 to give his acceptance speech. It won't be his first — the award is the latest in a laundry list of honors for him.
This one, though, is unique. It's the product of a connection that began decades ago, and which still endures.
