Jimmy V

By Witt Hullander

In my opinion, March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year. We are overdosed on college basketball. We pray, hope, and cry for our favorite team to win the tournament. Whether your team is the first or last seed, they still have a chance to take that title home for fame and glory. Even if your team is eliminated early, there’s usually a Cinderella story to rally behind.

One of these unlikely winners was North Carolina State in 1983. They were led by coaching legend Jimmy Valvano, nicknamed “Jimmy V,” whose Wolfpack won the National Championship as the 6^th seed. They were unlikely heroes from the very beginning.

After a 19-year coaching career, Jimmy V stopped coaching in 1990 and began his profession in broadcasting with ESPN and ABC. He was highly successful and won several awards and honors, including the Cable ACE award for commentating and analysis. On June 6, 1992, Jimmy was diagnosed with terminal metastatic cancer. He fought hard and spoke several times openly about his battle. One of his most quoted phrases was, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” If you have not seen his inspiring acceptance speech for the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, at the first ESPY’s in 1993, it is well worth the ten minutes it takes to watch. Just about eight weeks after his captivating speech, his battle with cancer ended on April 28, 1993.His tombstone reads, “Take time every day to laugh, to think, to cry.”

Jimmy V is still fighting cancer today. In a partnership with ESPN, he created The V Foundation for Cancer Research in an effort to fund cancer research and ultimately find a cure. The foundation awards 100% of donations and event proceeds toward cancer research, and has awarded more than $115 million toward research grants. This foundation is crucial in the battle with cancer. Thanks to Jimmy and ESPN’s effort, we are steadily getting closer to the cure.

One of the most important things we can learn from Jimmy is to never give up. Whether things look bleak in business or in life, we have to rise above the circumstance and never quit. As Jimmy said, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” While his unlikely National Championship seemed heroic, his true heroism rests within the people he has helped and continues to help along the way. We are all unlikely heroes. We all have a chance to become a hero in someone’s life every day. Be a hero today.