Latest news with #Duke-UNC
New York Post
28-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
ESPN ‘deeply hurt' Dick Vitale with UNC-Duke decision
Dick Vitale didn't let it on publicly, but the legendary analyst was reportedly 'deeply' hurt when ESPN removed him from calling Duke-UNC games in 2015. Vitale had spent 35 years color commentating the storied rivalry, but the network opted to replace him with Jay Bilas, a decision made by then-ESPN president John Skipper. 'That really, deeply hurt him,' said an anonymous colleague, according to Tom Friend's profile of Vitale in Sports Business Journal. Dick Vitale in November 2022. AP Friend also reported that on the night Dickie V was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2018, he approached longtime ESPN executive George Bodenheimer and asked to be reinstated on the UNC-Duke game, only to learn Bodenheimer no longer worked at ESPN. Vitale, 86, has remained at ESPN in the following years, as a core part of the network's college basketball coverage. Known for his highly entertaining, energetic and unmistakable broadcast style, and for signature phrases like 'Awesome, baby!' and 'Dipsy-doo dunk-a-roo,' Vitale has become one of the most beloved figures in college hoops over the years. A former coach who worked in the high school and college ranks before a brief stint as head coach of the Pistons (1978-79), Vitale first joined ESPN in 1979, when he called his first Duke-UNC game. Dick Vitale before the Duke-UNC game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2012. Getty Images In recent years, the Passaic, N.J., native has battled through multiple cancer diagnoses, which first flared up in 2021 and returned in 2023. He announced that he was officially cancer-free in December 2024, and he made his return to the broadcast booth for the first time in two years for the Duke-Clemson game on Feb. 8. 'Santa Claus came early,' Vitale wrote on X at the time. 'Yes I'm cutting down the nets baby it's my National Championship!' Vitale is under contract with ESPN through the 2027-28 season, and he's expected to be part of the broadcast for the newly introduced Dick Vitale Invitational, which will feature Duke and Texas in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 4.
Fox News
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Cooper Flagg's mom says viral celebration was 'big F-you' to UNC fans for 'being classless a-holes'
Cooper Flagg's mom is deep into the longtime Duke-UNC rivalry. Duke completed their sweep of the regular-season series over their arch rivals with an 82-69 victory in Chapel Hill on Saturday, where Flagg dropped 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and handed out six assists. One play in particular wound up being a viral moment for Flagg's mother, Kelly. In the closing moments of the game, Flagg dribbled by defenders from nearly half court all the way to a thunderous two-handed slam. Kelly hit the crowd with the "head top" celebration, tapping the top of her head and screaming, "On his f---ing head!" The moment quickly went viral, and Kelly addressed it in a Facebook post, jokingly thanking those who were "willing to start a" GoFundMe and "ready to ride at dawn." Kelly apologized to "anyone who was offended by my language that was caught in a celebratory moment," admitting that it "wasn't my best look." "However, if you actually know me and are a real friend of mine you weren't shocked," she added with a laughing emoji. But then, she added why the emotions came out, and it was apparently due to the "crudeness" of UNC fans at the game. "It was a very intense situation we were put into and we were taken aback by the crudeness of the UNC fans as we made our way into the arena. They continued to harrass [sic] with much worse being spewed in our direction as well as at our 18 year old son and his teammates throughout the entirety of the game," Kelly wrote. "The celebration was a moment of being so proud of our kid and Laos a big F-you to the entire Carolina fan base for being classless a-holes. If you are a UNC fan and didn't like it…tough [poop emoji]. Better luck next time! Go Duke." In the regular season, Flagg averaged 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists en route to the Blue Devils finishing the season as the top-ranked team in the country. They will now go for an ACC title before heading to March Madness. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
