Jimmy V: Once, Now, And Always Something Special

Jim Valvano's Iona Hall of Fame plaque inside the Hynes Center in New Rochelle reminds fan and nonfan alike just how much of an impact he made at such a young age. (Photo courtesy of the author's personal collection)

Sadly, there are some people in this world that, despite lists of accomplishments that transcend the realm of possibility, become greater legends in death than their celebrity stature in life. Examples include the likes of John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Princess Diana, Dale Earnhardt, and Michael Jackson. As ESPN has reminded us over the past seven days, Jim Valvano can also be added to that group of luminaries.

For me personally, Jim Valvano has always been a legend both on and off the basketball court; and the morning of April 29th, 1993 will always be one memory I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Over eighteen years ago on that day, I was just about four months away from my seventh birthday and nearly finished with first grade in elementary school; but my sports interest back then was as rabid as it still is as I write this today. Like I had done every morning, I woke up to SportsCenter at 7 a.m., when I learned that Valvano had died the day before. The coach known to the world simply as "Jimmy V" had lost his much-publicized battle with cancer. Now, to most six-year-old boys, such a tragedy would not be understood at that young an age. However, I had been hearing stories of Valvano and his legacy at Iona College as a result of my mother having attended the small school in New Rochelle. This is where the memory of Valvano's death becomes personal, as I immediately found my mother and shared the revelation that had just been announced to me. "Mommy," I said, not really knowing how she would react. "Jim Valvano died."

Within seconds, Julie Daly had become an emotional wreck. To her, Valvano was more than just a coach. Jimmy, who was hired by Iona at the tender age of 29 in 1975, the same year she had enrolled as a freshman at the school, had become a friend over the years. To this day, my mother can still recall Valvano saying hello to her in the parking lot every morning; and the zeal and passion for life he carried with him throughout his career.

That enthusiasm for mere existence followed Valvano, and his persona was reflected in the players he coached. Ultimately, he left Iona for North Carolina State, where he won a national championship in arguably the greatest college basketball game of all time as NC State defeated Houston on the famous Dereck Whittenburg pass that was emphatically dunked by the late Lorenzo Charles. The second lasting image of that night is Valvano running across the court looking for someone to hug. When I reminded my mother of that, her response was this: "Yeah, that sounds like Jimmy, alright."

Jim Valvano is hoisted onto the shoulders of a crowd who embraced him just as much as he embraced them, this following NC State's improbable national championship in 1983. (Photo courtesy of the V Foundation)

Finally, Valvano became an analyst for ABC and ESPN; and shortly before his tragic passing, he became even more iconic with his emotional speech at the inaugural ESPY awards a mere two months before God made the call to hire a new head coach. To this day, I have yet to see one person listen to the following performance and not show some form of emotion.

Looking back, I believe Valvano ultimately would have returned to the sidelines at some point. Being a local kid, one who was born in Corona and went to high school on Long Island, it would have come as no surprise to me if Valvano returned to the metropolitan area if he were still alive in the 1990s and 2000s; perhaps to his alma mater of Rutgers, or as I have suggested to several people, to my alma mater of St. John's University as the heir apparent to Lou Carnesecca. Ironically enough, a person similar to Valvano in both personality and competitive spirit did exactly this: A head coach who was successful at an early age at a program many consider an impossible situation given its incomparable history, who spent seven years as an analyst with ABC and ESPN much like Valvano did, only to come back and lead St. John's to heights not seen since Carnesecca was at the helm. If you don't know this man, his name is Steve Lavin.

Anyway, I digress. After ESPN assisted in the promotion of cancer research through their annual "Jimmy V Week" that culminated with the annual one-day tournament his foundation sponsors at Madison Square Garden, I felt compelled to pay tribute to a man I should have honored long ago; especially with an indirect connection that makes me feel as if I knew him, when in reality I never got the chance. Most people associate Valvano with his iconic quote "Don't give up, don't ever give up;" but I find a pearl of wisdom from the aforementioned ESPY speech to be the most meaningful and resonating part of his legacy instead:

"Think about it: If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's one heck of a day. If you do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

He was something special in life, is something special today; and will always be something special until the end of time.

He is the one and only Jim Valvano, and there will never be another like him. Rest in peace, Jimmy V.