Jim Valvano
The charismatic coach whose underdog NCAA championship run was eclipsed by his courageous, inspirational battle with cancer.
1946–1993 (age 47)·American basketball player, coach, and broadcaster·Birthday: March 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jim Valvano was a whirlwind of emotion and wit, a basketball lifer whose coaching philosophy was built on passion and preparation. He reached his zenith in 1983 when his North Carolina State Wolfpack, a decided underdog, executed a last-second play to win the national championship, followed by Valvano's iconic, ecstatic dash across the court looking for someone to hug. A decade later, cancer had reduced his body but not his spirit. At the 1993 ESPY Awards, gaunt and frail, he delivered a speech that transcended sports, urging listeners to laugh, think, and cry every day, and announcing the creation of the V Foundation for Cancer Research. In that moment, 'Jimmy V' secured a legacy far greater than any trophy: one of relentless hope and humanity.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jim was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Jim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1993Died at 47
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Coached North Carolina State to the 1983 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship with a last-second victory over Houston.
- Founded The V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research grants.
- Won the 1989 ACC Tournament championship while coaching at NC State.
- Posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1993.
Did You Know?
He was a point guard at Rutgers University, playing under coach Bill Foster.
Before NC State, he was the head coach at Iona College, leading them to two NCAA tournaments.
He worked as a basketball commentator for ABC and ESPN after his coaching career ended.
The phrase 'survive and advance,' from his 1983 tournament run, became his trademark motto.
““Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.””
