Jim Valvano Biography Quotes 21 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
James Thomas Anthony Valvano was born on March 10, 1946, in Corona, Queens, New York, and grew up in a close-knit Italian American household that prized storytelling, loyalty, and the pursuit of big dreams. His father, Rocco Valvano, exerted a profound influence on him; decades later, Jim often credited his confidence and optimism to the belief his father instilled. He had two brothers, Nick and Bob, who remained central figures throughout his life. The fraternal bond would become part of his public story, especially as Nick and Bob stood beside him in his later years and in the work that continued after his death.

Education and Playing Career
Valvano attended Rutgers University, where he played guard on the basketball team and developed the court sense and leadership style that later defined his coaching. He graduated in the late 1960s and briefly taught and coached, already demonstrating the charisma and intellectual curiosity that drew people to him. Even as a young coach, he loved literature and oratory, mixing locker room motivation with humor and a flair for improvisation.

Coaching Apprenticeship
Right out of college, Valvano stayed in the game. He served as a freshman coach at Rutgers before receiving his first head-coaching opportunity at Johns Hopkins University. A stint as an assistant at Connecticut broadened his network and refined his approach. He then became head coach at Bucknell, where he gained valuable experience building a program and managing the daily demands of the job. The trajectory was rapid, but it was at Iona College where he broke through to national recognition, showing he could recruit, teach, and inspire at a high level.

Iona and the Rise to Prominence
At Iona, Valvano's teams played with confidence and swagger. He recruited and developed standout players, notably future NBA center Jeff Ruland, and positioned the Gaels on the national map with conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. The success at Iona showcased his blend of schematics and showmanship: animated on the sideline, relentlessly positive in practice, and able to connect with players as individuals. His reputation as a rising star made him a natural candidate for larger programs.

North Carolina State and the 1983 Championship
Valvano took over at North Carolina State University in 1980, entering the fiercely competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Three years later, his 1982-83 team authored one of the most famous runs in college basketball history. Nicknamed the Cardiac Pack for their succession of close wins, they advanced through the NCAA Tournament to face the high-flying Houston Cougars in the national championship game. That Houston team, featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, was favored, but NC State slowed the tempo and turned the final minutes into a series of tense possessions. With the score tied in the final seconds, Dereck Whittenburg launched a long shot that fell short, and Lorenzo Charles caught it midair and dunked at the buzzer for a 54-52 win. Valvano's instinctive dash across the court, searching for someone to hug, became an enduring image of joy in sport. Key players from that era, including Whittenburg, Sidney Lowe, Thurl Bailey, Charles, and others, long spoke of Valvano's ability to make them believe. The team's rallying cry, often recalled as survive and advance, became entwined with his identity.

Administrator and Controversy
As his profile grew, Valvano also took on administrative responsibilities, serving as NC State's athletic director while continuing as head coach. The dual role placed him in the crosscurrents of college athletics at a time of heightened scrutiny. Allegations about the program, amplified by a controversial book and extensive media attention, led to investigations and NCAA sanctions against the university. Though the penalties did not include findings of major coaching infractions against Valvano personally, the cumulative pressure was immense. He stepped down as athletic director and later resigned as head coach in 1990. Supporters saw the episode as a reminder of his complicated era; detractors viewed it as evidence of systemic excess. Valvano himself moved on, carrying equal measures of pride in his players and perspective gained through adversity.

Broadcasting and Public Persona
After coaching, Valvano joined ESPN and ABC as a college basketball analyst. Television proved a natural home: he was insightful, unafraid of candor, and uncommonly warm on air. Viewers saw the same energy and quick wit that his players knew in the locker room. He forged a visible friendship with fellow broadcaster Dick Vitale, and together they brought a contagious love of the college game to national audiences. Even as he critiqued strategy or praised a rising team, Valvano never lost the human thread, telling stories that connected the game to life.

Illness, ESPY Speech, and The V Foundation
In 1992, Valvano was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. The disease advanced quickly, but so did his determination to use the platform he had. On March 4, 1993, at the first ESPY Awards, visibly weakened but undiminished in spirit, he delivered a speech that became a cultural touchstone. Emphasizing a life well lived through laughter, thought, and emotion, he punctuated the evening with a simple refrain: do not give up, do not ever give up. That night he announced, with ESPN's partnership and the support of friends such as Dick Vitale and family including his brothers Nick and Bob, the creation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. He received the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the broadcast. The foundation began immediately funding scientists and laboratories working across the spectrum of cancers, reflecting Valvano's belief that research and hope are inseparable.

Personal Life
Valvano married Pamela (Pam) Valvano, and they raised three daughters, Jamie, Nicole, and Lee Ann. Family life, so central to his identity, threaded through his public appearances. He often told the story of Rocco Valvano keeping a suitcase packed because he believed his son would one day win a championship and call to say it was time to go. That anecdote, like many he shared, was less about basketball and more about faith in the people you love. His brothers stood by him as colleagues and confidants; Bob carved out his own path in basketball and broadcasting, and Nick played a notable role in the development of The V Foundation in the years after Jim's passing. The players he coached remained part of his extended family, and he celebrated their lives long after the final buzzer.

Final Years and Legacy
Jim Valvano died on April 28, 1993, at age 47, not long after the ESPY speech that introduced his mantra to the world. He passed away in North Carolina, surrounded by the family and friends whose names he had woven into his public story. His earthly career numbers as a coach and broadcaster tell only part of the story. The rest is found in relationships and in the continuing work of The V Foundation, which has supported significant research grants, inspired the annual Jimmy V Classic, and rallied athletes, scientists, media figures, and families around the cause of defeating cancer. Former players and colleagues frequently cite the lessons he taught about resilience and joy, as easily applied to life as to a late-game out-of-bounds play.

Enduring Influence
Valvano's legacy is multifaceted: the daring strategist who believed an underdog could topple a giant; the teacher who persuaded young athletes to imagine more for themselves; the broadcaster who made the sport a little brighter; and the patient who faced illness with honesty and purpose. The people around him define that legacy as much as the games do: Pam and their daughters, brothers Nick and Bob, friends like Dick Vitale, and the athletes such as Dereck Whittenburg, Sidney Lowe, Thurl Bailey, and Lorenzo Charles who helped pen the 1983 story. To those who knew him and to many who only encountered him through his words, Jim Valvano remains a reminder that heart and humor can carry a person, and those around him, much farther than the odds predict.

Our collection contains 21 quotes who is written by Jim, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Never Give Up - Live in the Moment - Hope.

• Jim Valvano cause of death: Jim Valvano died from complications related to metastatic adenocarcinoma.
• What kind of cancer did Jim Valvano have: Jim Valvano had metastatic adenocarcinoma, a type of glandular cancer.
• Jim Valvano height: Jim Valvano's height was approximately 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm).
• Jim Valvano wife remarried: Jim Valvano's wife, Pamela Levine Valvano, did remarry after his death.
• Jim Valvano daughters: Jim Valvano had three daughters: Nicole, Jamie, and Leanne.
• Jim Valvano speech: Jim Valvano's famous 'Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up' speech was delivered at the 1993 ESPY Awards.
• How old was Jim Valvano? He became 47 years old

• Wikipedia