Jim Valvano

James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 – April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. Valvano had an excellent coaching career with multiple schools, most notably at North Carolina State University. While the head coach at NC State, his team won the 1983 national title against improbable odds. Valvano is most remembered for his ecstatic celebration after winning the national championship against the heavily-favored Houston Cougars. After his career, Valvano gave an inspirational and memorable speech in 1993 at the ESPY Awards, while terminally ill with cancer, telling listeners to laugh, think, and cry each day, saying "don’t give up. Don’t ever give up". He gave the speech less than two months before his death from adenocarcinoma, a type of many glandular cancers. The ESPY Awards now include the Jimmy V Award named in his honor. Each year, a college basketball tournament called the Jimmy V Classic is held in his honor and in support of cancer victims and survivors.