The week of December 17th was Jimmy V week in the college basketball world and NC State fans everywhere were reminded of the Jim Valvano era in the late 80s and early 90s. They were also reminded of the loss of an amazing person, and a man that everyone saw as a friend. Jim Valvano lives on through all of the good he has done with the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, and the mark he has left on the lives of millions with his incredible life.
Jim Valvano touched the hearts of countless people all over the world when he took a North Carolina State basketball team, a team that shouldn’t have even been in the “Big Dance,” to a National Championship in 1983. The team became an iconic Cinderella story that was known all over the country. Valvano coached other Wolfpack teams to winning seasons but never had quite the same success as he did in that special year.
Always known as somewhat of a comedian, Jim is also remembered for his enticing speeches. During one of his speeches, he said to a crowd, “I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can’t trust em.” Jim always referred to himself as just a little Italian kid from Queens, a true testament to his humble nature. He thought of himself as just another guy on the street.
But one thing separated Jimmy V from the rest of the world, something people in his time had started lose sight of: Hope. Hope is what kept this man going. Jim Valvano was a strong believer in believing. If his team was down by ten with two minutes left, he would energize his players, come up with a game plan, and keep fighting until the very end. Staying in contention was always his goal. The intentional foul to stop the clock is actually credited to Valvano (Ironically, this strategy led to the Wolfpack’s demise in the 2014 NCAA tournament against Saint Louis University).
The ’83 Wolfpack team had ten losses before the ACC tourney and things were not looking good for an invite to the NCAA tournament. Valvano brought his team together and told them that a way into the big dance was simple. They just had to win the ACC tournament. Down late in the first game of the tournament against Wake Forest, NC State stormed back and tied up the game with three minutes left. Wake Forest decided to hold the ball for the last shot, but the pack came up with a steal and ended up winning the game by one point after a free throw from Lorenzo Charles.
Next, the Pack faced a North Carolina team that featured future all-stars such as Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins. The Pack trailed early, but hung on just long enough for Jordan to foul out. This became the pivotal moment of the game, allowing them to tie it up and go into OT. Again, NC State trailed early, and were struggling, especially due to the lack of a shot clock at this point in basketball history. The team needed to act. This moment was the birth of the intentional foul: fouling to stop the clock and hoping the other team missed free-throws. With this strategy, the Wolfpack came back and beat North Carolina. The championship game was played against the legendary Ralph Sampson and the University of Virginia. After being manhandled early, the Wolfpack needed an answer for Sampson. They double-teamed him and came out swinging, and after a few clutch defensive plays, they won the ACC Tournament and with it, a bid to March Madness.
With their first match up with Pepperdine, the Wolfpack found themselves in a familiar position, behind again late. With the help of some missed free throws, the Wolfpack were victorious. After a victory over UNLV, once again coming from behind, the Wolfpack arrived in the Sweet Sixteen. The bunch became known as the Cardiac Pack, a group of fun-loving guys behind Coach V that always delivered a heart-stopping performance. One day, Coach V brought a letter into the locker room after practice from a woman who was not a basketball fan. Her husband was in a coma, and she turned on one of their games because he enjoyed basketball and she thought that maybe he could hear it. She watched the games, came to know the group, how they had come out of nowhere, and how they never gave up. This instilled a sense of hope in the woman for her husband’s health. This team had begun to touch the hearts of people everywhere.
One of Jim’s famous quotes was: “Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead.” That’s exactly what Jimmy V had started to show America. With their first easy win in over five games against Utah, the crew found themselves in the Elite Eight. Once again, they faced Ralph Sampson and the University of Virginia. With a minute left, the game was tied. Virginia decided to hold for the last shot and once again Coach V gives the order to foul; a crazy idea at the time, but an effective one. The shooter went one for two. After making their next shot to go up by one, the pack quadruple teamed Ralph Sampson and won. The North Carolina State Wolfpack had only one more team to play before the National Championship. Another Cinderella team, Georgia, had upset Michael Jordan and the University of North Carolina, but posed no problem for the Wolfpack as they played one of their best games to advance to the final game. The team had quite a task before them.
To dethrone the University of Houston would be an amazing feat. Nicknamed “Phi Slama Jama,” this was a team that boasted future NBA all-stars such as Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, and Hakeem Olajuwon. This group earned their namesake, and were known to throw down. In a game against Louisville in the semis, the team racked up 13 slam dunks. Valvano had a tall task ahead of him, but he always had his secret weapon. His ability to believe and visualize a victory was always the factor that gave his players the confidence and hope to keep giving it their all.
From tip off, the game featured the Pack firing on all cylinders. After telling the media they were going to control the game and hold the ball, Valvano told his team to play up tempo and to run the floor. State went into the half up by eight, but Houston put on a display in the second and erased the deficit in no time. Down by seven with ten minutes left, the team was back in their usual position of needing a large amount of points in a short period of time. The Houston team was showing fatigue as Olajuwon came out and had to be given oxygen, possibly due to the altitude in Albuquerque. Coach V saw his chance. With a series of steals and fast break buckets, State tied it up. With a minute left, Houston elected to hold the ball, so the Wolfpack decided to find the freshman and foul him. After he missed his free throw, the pack brought the ball down and carried out one of the most epic moments in all of sports history. The clock at three seconds, Derek Whittenburg hoisted up a prayer from well beyond the three point line, and everyone stood motionless to watch the shot, everyone except for one person. Lorenzo Charles grabbed the soon to be air ball and slammed it home, a little poetic justice to end the season for Phi Slama Jama. The North Carolina State Wolfpack had won the National Championship as a six seed. After the basket, pandemonium ensued. The rafters were cleared and all the fans and players joined in the celebration. Fame was on its way for this group of men that would be forever known as the ’83 team.
Tragically, Coach V was later diagnosed with cancer. A man who was larger than life, and had so much left to give, was brought down by a disease without a cure. Jim never gave up, he fought it every step of the way. He was willing to give any new type of experimental drug a chance. The cancer was advancing and the former coach’s condition was getting worse. Jimmy V once said “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” Jim Valvano was losing his ability to walk and stand and all he had to talk about was what he still could do. At the ESPY’s in 1993, Jim gave a speech after winning the Humanitarian award. He talked about how he loved his family, his team, and how he didn’t care if the guy in the back was giving him a signal that said 30 seconds. Another topic he spoke of was telling the world about his vision. Jim Valvano had a vision to set up a foundation to find a cure for cancer. He said, “It may not save my life, but it might save my children’s, or someone you love.” He established the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. This foundation is one of the nation’s leading cancer research foundations, and 100% of their donations go to research and has donated over 100 million to Cancer research.
Coach V’s most famous quote, and definitely the least verbose, sums him up entirely. “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” That is exactly what he did, he never gave up. Even today he raises money for cancer research and touches the hearts of millions with his philosophies and his wonderful life.
In memory of Jim Valvano (1946-1993) and Lorenzo Charles (1963-2011)
