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Dick Vitale shares appreciation for Rick Barnes’ daily prayer messages through cancer battle
By Scott Green
Published:
Rick Barnes is not just a great coach but a great human being and Dick Vitale wants to make sure people hear his story.
Barnes sent Vitale daily prayer messages during the ESPN host’s battle with cancer. Vitale saw a tweeted video of Barnes discussing those messages and shared his appreciation for the Tennessee coach.
Just a fantastic person / yes @RickBarnesUT has been a terrific coach for years but to me what caring loving human being . What he did for me when I faced some tough dark moments after chemotherapy I will never ever forget.Lifted my spirits daily with his ???. Love the guy! https://t.co/YMWX7f6Trk
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) October 20, 2022
Vitale mentions how difficult things were for him during his cancer treatment and that coach Barnes went out of his way to show him that he’s not alone. When first asked about his relationship with Vitale, Barnes showed a genuine smile and started with their friendship that began in the 1980s. When coach Barnes asked what Vitale needed during his cancer treatment he responded with “prayers”.
“Well, I promise you I’ll pray for you every day,” Barnes said while walking through their relationship. “And I just decided the prayers I was praying for him I’d just text them to him.”
“I’m glad he’s healthy and again I think I can speak for everyone with thank him for what he’s done for our collegiate game,” Barnes praising Vitale on his contributions throughout the years.
Scott Green has been covering and following college football since 2017. After primarily covering the Georgia Bulldogs, Scott began to branch out and build relationships with other national media members. He played football and graduated from the LaGrange College in 2014. He currently is enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard after deploying with them in 2019 to Afghanistan.
