“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
Jimmy
Valvano, 1993 – announcing the Jimmy V Foundation
December 1-7 is Jimmy V week on ESPN. You may not know who Jimmy Valvano was, but if you have had the misfortune of knowing someone afflicted with cancer, the odds are he and his life’s mission impacted your life.
Jimmy Valvano was a successful basketball coach,
commentator, and author. He was a person
of strong conviction and personal drive.
At an early age he pulled out white index cards and began to write down
his personal goals for life. He wanted
to play high school and college basketball, he wanted to become an assistant
coach, go on to become a head coach, cut down the nets in Madison Square Garden
and win a National Championship. At age
36, he was able to pull out those cards and cross off every item on the
list. Throughout his life he developed a
personal philosophy which allowed an ordinary man to accomplish the
extraordinary. He was commented, “There
are 86,400 seconds in a day. It is up to
you to decide what to do with them.”
Jimmy V chose to cherish and make the most of each one.
After accomplishing his goals on the basketball court, he
explored new directions from writing to commentating. He was not interested in limiting himself to
a single profession. He embraced
diversity in his life and his interests.
In 1993, Jimmy Valvano was given an obstacle that would
prove to be his most difficult. He was diagnosed
with cancer. The cancer proved to be too
much for him to personally overcome, but through his vision and passion he has
inspired and continues to inspire funding for education and research to cure
cancer. At the time of his diagnosis,
cancer was an underfunded and devastating disease. His charismatic and infectious attitude
towards life and easy appeal to people made him an ideal person to raise the
awareness of cancer and its impacts on our world and to raise arms to find a
way to cure cancer. While no cure has
been found, through continued research many forms of treatment have been
developed. The Jimmy V Foundation has
risen over $100 million in the past 18 years to fund cancer awareness and
research.
Jimmy V is an inspiring person. His attitude towards life, even in the face
of overwhelming obstacles is something to admire.
Below is a video clip from the 1993 ESPY awards when he
received the Arthur Ashe award for Courage.
During his speech he announces the Jimmy V Foundation.
Below are highlights from the 1983 National
Championship. It was one of the most
exciting endings the tournament has ever seen.
What do you think of Jimmy Valvano, his life and his
mission? Do you have or are you
developing a personal philosophy for how you live your life? If so, would you mind sharing? Who inspires you to be a better person? What qualities do they possess you admire?
Jacob_I think that Jimmy V is a really awesome person. He is very inspirational. I think that it is really cool that he wrote down things on note cards and checked every one of them off. That shows that he has a very large will. He set his mind to something and accomplished them. I think that my life is based off of the role models in my life. I look up to certain people and the things that they say and do stick with me. My coach in basketball gives our team quotes to live by and one of them was,"Don't gve up, don't ever give up,"-Jimmy V. I think that sports quotes really stick with me and shape my life because I am a very sportsy person. My dad inspires me to be a better person. He models what it is to be honest, hardworking, and committed. Also, Coach Scot Ludwig is a very big influence in my life. In his coaching he shows me how to be a good person on and off the basketball court. I also look up to my teachers. They inspire me to work my hardest and to my full potential. People who inspire me are hardworking and determined to do well at whatever they do. They also look for opportunities to help others. Mr. Grant is a great example of a role model of mine who is always looking for ways to help people. He is always helping others with their computers and if I ask him a question he not only answers that question but helps me understand ways to make whatever I am doing into something great. He explains things in a very good way and is a very god teacher. As a teacher he is helping lots of young children a day. The way he teaches makes me understand and want to learn more. I think that a great life is a life lived for others.
ReplyDeleteJackie- Jimmy is an amazing man, I have to say! He has shared his passion with others! It's so cool that he sat down one day when he was little and wrote down his life goals and continued on in life to succeed each and every one f them. That is so inspirational! I think my life's philosophy is reach for the stars and don't let anyone tell you, you can't. Also, that life has unending possibilities and they are waiting to be found. I want to really make something of my life and really be able to accomplish anything I want! Some role models for me are; my parents, teachers, and a few celebrities, like, Selena Gomez and Abby Wambach. They strive for success and that's what I want to do in life. I want to make success happen and come back from the failures. These people are huge influences on me and help me strive to become a better me each day.
ReplyDeleteMatea- I think Jimmy is a very happy, talented, and good man. He did what he wanted to in his life and had the best time doing it. Once he knew he had cancer it didn't make him stop what he did. It might of actually made him stronger. Usally cancer would make someone finish their life sadly. Jimmy didn't let the cancer do that to him. I think that Iam living my life by following what i know is good and from the others around me. So if i see something bad then i will try not to do it. I try to be nice to people because i know it is good to do and it makes me feel good. My parents and teachers inspire me to be a better person. They possess qualities of respecting others and doing your best on everything with all of you effort.
ReplyDeleteAaron- i think that jimmy was arealy great person and that he is an example of goodness to all of us. i do think i am beginning to develop a personal philosiphy for my life. my philosiphy is to look at all the great people around me and all of my role models and try to strive to be like them. one of my biggest role models is my parents and most of the people around me. i think that all of my role models have great charecteristics that define them and so i try to follow those.
ReplyDeleteConor-I think Jimmy Valvano was really inspirational. He was a very good basketball coach and an even better person. What he has done for people with cancer is amazing. My philosophy for life is never never give up. If you do this almost anything can be possible. People can put you down but if you don't give up it wont affect you. One role model I have is Michael Jordan. Even though he got cut from his high school team he kept trying and became the hes basketball player ever. If we don't give up maybe we will one day find a cure for cancer.
ReplyDeleteTaylor- I think Jimmy is one of the most insparaitonal people in the world. The way he dealt with cancer was amazing. He didn't go into depression and sit at his house and do nothing about it. Instead, he did everything he could for others that had cancer. I didn't really have a philosophy before this point, but now I think mine would be: Even though your life is as teriible as it can get, you can always do something to make another person's life better. My parents and teachers inspire me more than anybody else. And ever since I went to the 6th floor museum in Texas, John F. Kennedy has been a huge insparation too. My favorite quote from him is "Mankind must put an end to war, or was will put an end to mankind."
ReplyDeleteEmma g- I think Jimmy is an amazing person. We worked hard at what he did and what he had. Cancer was a huge bump in his life. But unlike others, he made the most of his life. He did what ever he could before the cancer got worse. My philosophy is -live life to the fullest. I would say my parents inspire more than ever. They never give up, even if it is rough, they try there best every day to make it better.
ReplyDeleteDillon - I think that Jimmy V was a great person that had all of his goals in life figured out. I also think that the Jimmy V foundation is a great foundation. It has helped save a lot of people's lives. Yes, there are 5 principles in life for me. They are God, Family, Friends, Education, and Extra Time. The person that inspires me to be the best that I can be is Pierce. He is an old friend from Mountain Home. The reason that he is one of my role modles in my life is because he is very respectful to everyone.
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ReplyDeleteI think Jimmy V is a awesome person. Everything he did he put hard work into it, 110% every single time. My philosophy is never give up or hard work always pays off. I mind sharing this. The one person that inspires me is Michael Jordan because he never gave up when he got cut from his high school team. He put so much hard work that it paid off for him at the end. He shows me that you should never give up and hard work always pays off.
Emma Sabala- I think that Jimmy V was an amazing person and someone anyone could look up to. He always was confident in the things he would achieve in life and that confidence in himself gave him all of those achievements. To have as many achievements that he did is amazing! My personal philosophy is -if you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased- All of my family, friends, and teachers are the people who inspire me to be a better person. I learn something great and new from them every day and they are who have made me the person I am today.
ReplyDeletePeter- I think that Jimmy V. was a good person and someone that everyone could idolize. I also think he was commendable because he lived life to the fullest. He also taught a lot of people about cancer. One of the last things I like about Jimmy V was he always wanted to cut the net at Madison Square Garden, and he eventually was able o do it. My personal philosophy is if you put your mind to it, you can be successful. My inspiration is Robert Griffin III, as he is so nice to everyone and cares about his teammates a lot. He also put a lot of hard work and effort to get where he is today.
ReplyDeleteSena- Jimmy V. was a very inspirational and great man. He has helped so many people and that makes him an amazing person. My philosophy is to stay true to yourself, to do as much good as possible with your time on Earth, and to die trying. I think that Jimmy is an excellent example of that. He fought back to cancer and never gave up. Because of this he has raised a lot of money and has helped countless people. There are many people in my life that inspire me to be a better person. The first person is my mom. She always believes in me and will always be at my side.Also my soccer coach. He is the one who told me to die trying and I feel that is the best way to do everything in life.
ReplyDeleteAudrey "OZZY" Worrell- I think Jimmy V is a person who went through a lot but never backed down from things like promises or goals. He was diagnoised with cancer but he stayed on his feet, always there for the team what ever team it was. My philosophy would probly be no matter what happens in life what ever blows at you don't fall, that's the way you hurt youself. I think a great example of that is this family that my family is friends with. The mom has cancer and she never falls, if she does she gets right back up.
ReplyDeleteDanny Sabala- I think Jimmy V was an amazing person. His daily routine and day of life should have or have inspired people everywhere. Not only was he one of the greatest coaches ever but he also had to fight cancer and never gave up or had given up any TIME. I also think it is really amazing that all of his goals came true. I think it means that anything is possible. I knew who Jimmy V was but i didn't know how amazing his life was after watching and reading the video. Some quotes on how i live life are "don't give up don't ever give up" and knowing that i always have the next day if something in the present goes wrong. Some people that inspire me to be a better person is my grandparents , brother, teachers, and especially my parents. They all care about me and teach me to do the right thing
ReplyDeleteRyan- I think that Jimmy V was a great person, a great coach and a hard worker.Jimmy V never wanted to quite I even wonder if the though ever crossed his mind.My philosophy is if you work before play or hard work pays off. The people that inspire me is parents and Jesus. Things that I think that a person needs to have to be a person you can look up to is doing the right thing, never giving up,and staying true to themselves
ReplyDeleteRaphie- I think that Jimmy Valvano was a great coach and an even greater man. I really admire how he worked for what he wanted and he finally got it. My personal philosophy for life is when the goings get tough the tough get going. And when things around me s.tart getting harder I need to buckle down and work even harder. The two people who inspire me are my parents and my coach. My parents are kind, caring, and compassionate and have always taught me to do the right thing. My coach has taught me that anything can be achieved through hard work and determination
ReplyDeleteNatalia- I think Jimmy Valvano was an amazing person and a great role model for everyone not just basketball fans. His story shows us that we need to live our lives to the fullest because we never know what we will come upon in life and that is cool because not many peoples stories are like that and last as long as his is. My philosophy is to always be yourself and live your life to the fullest. My parents and now i think Jimmy V are my inspirations. My parents are always there for me and they teach me to do what is right.
ReplyDeleteVince- I think that Jimmy Valvano was a one of a kind person. He was an amazing couch and role model. After watching those videos i really look up to him now and realize that he is a person who has those "star" qualities. Yes, i do have some philosophies on how I live my live are of course "Don't give up, don't ever give up" which is said by our GREAT basketball coach Scott Ludwig quoting Jimmy Valvano. But also “Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.” which was said by Vince Lombardi and is probably my favorite. The people that inspire me the most to be a better person are my parents, grandparents, friends, sister, coaches, teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins and many other people that live around me and help me try to be the best person I can be. Each of these groups of people all possess different and amazing qualities such as: good leaders, generous, loving, persistence and many other amazing qualities that make me look up to them.
ReplyDeleteAmaia- I think Jimmy Valvano was an really amazing person. I think he had a truly amazing what he accomplished in his life. I think one of the coolest things was that he was so optimistic all the time. Even though he was diagnosed with cancer and died somewhat early due to it, he still acomplished everything he wanted to in his life. Not many people can say that, even people who live a long life. Also when he was diagnosed with cancer, he didn't sit around and wallow in self-pity. Instead he got out there and tried to raise maoney for the cause and was happy with the life that he lived. I think a philosophy that I want to live by is "Live life to the fullest." and "Don't try to grow up too fast." People that inspire me to be a better person is my grandma and all those people I see and hear about doing good for others and are loving doing it. I admire their optism and their glass is half full attitude. Also I love how they get joy out of accomplishing good.
ReplyDeleteKatie H.- I think Jimmy V was a great person who new how to live his life well and new how to help others. His optimism about life inspires me and has inspired others to make sure they work they're hardest and live everyday to the fullest. My life philosophies are, "Goal worth reaching is hard"and " If you can dream it, you can do it". The people inspire me most are my ballet teacher Cathy , Sara Mearns who is a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet, and Misty Copeland who is a soloist at American Ballet Theatre. I admire Cathy because she is always cares about everybody and wants them to do their best. Her dedication to dance that helped her achieve her goal as a dancer inspires me. Sara Mearns and Misty Copeland inspire me because they achieved great things at a very young age. They also are very dedicated and try they're best to succeed.
ReplyDeletebelle- Jimmy v was a great person he developed goals and was determined to accomplish them. in his determination he believed in the people around him and that his goals in life can come true. he also had to fight cancer. in my opinion he seems like a really brave and strong man who believed he could accomplish anything. things i like to live by are "if you have a brain in your head and feet in you shoes you can lead yourself an any direction you choose" or "don't cry because its over, smile because it happened". people who inspire me are my friends and family. the make me who i am
ReplyDeleteAbby- i think Jimmy V was a very brave and courageous. and he accomplished a lot of amazing things like wining the basketball game for instance. jimmy v was very strong because he was fighting cancer and he never gave up and he inspired a lot of people.people who inspire me are my friends and family because the help me be a better person and they tell me whats right and wrong
ReplyDeleteStephanie-I think Jimmy V was a great guy. I think the notecards he wrote shows his passion and drive. He is an inspiration to everyone who has big dreams and all cancer victims. Right now i dont have any goals except to pass school with good grades. I know i want to help people in my job, I'm thinking about physical therapy. I know that i will never give up on any of the goals i will have in the future. My mom inspires me because she is a goos person and helps everyone.
ReplyDeleteCaleigh- I thought he had a very strong grip on who he was and didn't want to change that. I have but I always change and I like to let new ideas come in, so I think it will be forever changing. My philosophy Is do what makes you happy even if others don't like it. I admire my family especially my Grandma and Cousins Anna and Molly. They have the can do attitude and also do what makes them happy. They had a hard early life but they do a lot more others than they do themselves.
ReplyDeleteGabi- I think that Jimmy V was an amazing person. He was someone for people to look up to and he really made an impression on the world. He never gave up and I think that, that is really inspirational. I look up to alot of people like my friends and family, people who really inspire me. They are people who push me to be my best and never give up.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jimmy V seems to be a really cool person and a good role model to everyone to never give up and to try your best with whatever it is that you are doing.One thing that really inspired me was the time someone told me to never stop dreaming, this was my brother.my brother inspired and will continue to inspire me because he is always there for me and i can trust my life with him and i couldent ask for a better brother or role modle for that matter.((CODY))
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