Jimmy Valvano was once a name that only would have been associated with college basketball, winning, great personality, and a long list of other things none of which would have involved cancer. Now however the name Jimmy Valvano is associated to cancer and very much so.
When Jimmmy Valvano was 17 years old he took a white index card and wrote down all of his professional aspirations. He wrote down that he would play basketball in high school and college, an assistant basketball coach, then a head coach, be victorious in Madison Square Garden, and even cut down the nets after winning a National Championship. To any person who didn’t know Jimmy this would have seemed like a crazy kid with crazy aspirations, however Jimmy had the rare ability at the age of 17 when most kids don’t know what college they want to go to see his place in the world. It was a sure tell sign that Jimmy Valvano was meant for great things. At the age of 36 Jimmy Valvano believe it or not could take that index card and cross out each thing, because at the age of 36 Valvano had achieved all of his professional dreams. If there was ever a man to take cancer head on it would be him.
Valvano was the middle child of Rocco and Angelina Valvano with two brothers Nick and Bob. Jimmy once said, "to fully understand how close-knit a family I grew up in- we hugged, kissed, touched and said "I love you" so often that we should have been X-rated." Valvano always considered family to be the most important thing in life no matter what got in the way. Jim didn’t only know exactly what he wanted to do with his profession he also knew exactly what girl he wanted to spend his life with. At the age of only 22 he married his high school sweetheart, Pamela Levine who he was married to 25 years right up to his death. They had three daughters Nicole, Jamie, and Lee Ann who carry on his legacy today. Valvano was all about making a goal and reaching it. He wanted to play high school basketball so he did at Seaford High School on Long Island, New York. He was so good that he was able to reach his next goal of playing college basketball, and he was no let down. In college Valvano was starting point guard for his senior year at Rutgers University and under his leadership Rutgers finished third in the 1967 NIT Tournament, which was the last basketball tournament held at the old Madison Square Garden, the place where he had always dreamed of playing. Jim was also named Senior Athlete of the Year at Rutgers in 1967. His success didn’t stop with playing college basketball he soon moved to coaching college basketball at only the age of 23 making him one of the youngest coaches in the league. For anyone who knows sports this is a remarkable feat to be coaching college basketball at age 23 and could not be found in modern sport. Valvano made quite the impressive resume coaching basketball for 19 years at Johns Hopkins, Bucknell, Iona, and most famously NC State. His impressive 346-212 career record was good enough to get him inducted to the Rutgers Basketball Hall of Fame, New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, and even the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In 10 years at NC State Valvano had two ACC Tournament Champion teams, two ACC regular season champions, two Elite 8 teams, and a NCAA Basketball Championship in 1983. With all of his professional dreams achieved Valvano entered the broadcasting world for ESPN and ABC where he covered his favorite sport, college basketball. He was one of the most famous and well liked people in sports.
It was 1992 and Jimmy Valvano and his broadcasting career was going great he had even made appearances on the Tonight Show and David Letterman. However his whole life was soon turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Metastatic Adenocarcinoma, a form of bone cancer, he was given one year to live. Instead of becoming depressed Jimmy Valvano became a hero and an icon. He immediately went to work to do everything he could for cancer patients and people everywhere. He started giving motivational speeches all across the country even though he had tumors growing and spreading all over his body. Only 2 months before his death Valvano spoke at the inaugural ESPY Awards presented by ESPN. While accepting the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award he gave a 10 minute speech that went down in infamy as one of the greatest speeches in sports history. During this speech he announced his greatest achievement ever more impressive than any basketball accomplishment, the creation of the “V Foundation”. He announced that the foundation's motto would be "Don't give up. Don't ever give up" a phrase he had been using all of his life. The V Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer. The foundation seeks to make a difference by generating broad-based support for cancer research and by creating an urgent awareness among all Americans of the importance of the war against cancer. The V Foundation performs these dual roles through advocacy, education, fundraising, and philanthropy.
With the circumstances Jimmy Valvano was given he probably made the best out of it than any other person in the world could have. The last year of his life was the most important time of his life and its when he really made the most difference. He was a smart man and knew he could use his illness and great personality to inspire the billions of people all over the world.
It’s been 16 years since The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded by ESPN and Jimmy Valvano, and it has raised more than $80 million and awarded cancer research grants in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Also researchers have developed their laboratories and taken their science from the labs to the clinics with the help of funds raised by The V Foundation
The V Foundation for Cancer Research continues to be guided by the legacy of one man who refused to give up. The Foundation embraces Jimmy’s call for action, his love of people, and the courage that enabled him to find hope even in despair. Jimmy Valvano remains an enduring example of the timeless influence that one individual can have in this world.
