Dick Vitale has raised $44 million for the fight against cancer through his annual gala in Florida, most of it earmarked for children. That doesn’t even count constant promotion during college basketball broadcasts of the Jimmy V Foundation, which honors Jim Valvano, his late friend, ESPN colleague and North Carolina State coach.
That’s the financial part; the cajoling of celebrities to join the cause, the strong-arming of corporate interests to pony up, the years of extra time to do every small-town radio interview if he can get a plug in about beating cancer.