By Trevor Joelson
Jim Valvano will always be remembered for reminding people how much sports mean and at the same time how very little.
Every sports fan saw his jubilation as he ran around the court looking for a hug after leading North Carolina State to a 1983 basketball National Championship over heavily favored Houston. The same people shed a tear during his emotional ESPY speech in 1993. Valvano gave the speech just days after learning that the cancer he was battling had spread to the rest of his body.
“His words and his actions have cemented a place in my and every other sports fan’s heart,” said Patrick Beiting, a sophomore communication major at the University of Louisville.
Valvano passed away just two months after receiving the first Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs. However, his legacy continues on through the V Foundation which he announced the creation of during his famous speech.
The V Foundation is a charitable organization focused on trying to find a cure for cancer. They help to raise awareness about the importance of cancer research as well as further educate people. Since 1993, the foundation has raised more than $60 million and has awarded cancer research grants to 36 different states and the District of Columbia.
Steve Bornstein, former president of ESPN and ABC-TV and member of the board of directors, said, “The V Foundation is a family and all we want to do is cure cancer, plain and simple…a disease that affects a third of the people on this planet.”
Valvano touched so many lives in his time spent here, that getting the foundation started came with relative ease. The board of directors includes familiar names like Bill Cosby, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, TV personality Dick Vitale and Nike founder Phil Knight.
The CEO of the V Foundation is Nick Valvano, brother of Jim.
“My brother envisioned a lasting cancer research foundation,” said Valvano. “We are humbled by the generosity of his friends who have offered their time and talents and introduced us to their friends, to continue the Friends of V and enlarge our foundation family.”
Also on the board of directors is Jim’s other brother, Bob. Bob Valvano has been a host to an ESPN radio show entitled “The V Show” since 1998. Prior to hosting the show he was both an analyst for University of Louisville basketball games and a sideline reporter for the football games.
The motto for the V Foundation was created by Jim and it is “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” While doctors combat cancer, the basketball tournament that Louisville has gotten the opportunity to play in is just one step closer to that dream and a reminder to what Valvano taught us, which is that sports can be both the most and the least important thing.
