GREENSBORO, N.C. — On the court, legendary NC State coach Jimmy Valvano had a deep passion for basketball.
"He was certainly not quiet,” his middle daughter Jamie shared. “He jumped and shouted and paced. It was so inspiring to see someone so excited."
In his home, surrounded by family, was the softer, more quiet side the world didn't always see.
"A lot of people don’t know that he was an English major and he loved poetry,” Jamie said.
She remembers her father as a compassionate man with a sense of humor.
“He would go around the house citing literature all the time, so it was just a beautiful side to him," she recalled.
But when basketball season came around, she admired his passion for the game.
"I looked at my dad as if he was a hero," she added.
A young Jamie, enjoying games from the stands, knew her dad's impact on basketball and the sports community as a whole.
“If you've ever seen somebody do something they were born to do, it's so beautiful,” she said.
There's no doubt - her father was born to coach college basketball. His 1983 team captivated the hearts of America with their miracle March Madness run to win the NCAA title. The magic is certainly felt with this 2024 team, now in the Final Four.
They're the underdogs now, and they were the underdogs then.
Jamie has childhood memories of the magic of that 1983 team.
"I remember it like was just yesterday, coming back and flying into RDU. We went to Reynolds Coliseum and there was just a sea of fans that were cheering for us,” she said.
A win her father dreamed of at a young age.
"He wrote at 17 he wanted to win a national championship," she said.
While the national championship title was a moment to remember, Jim Valvano's life shifted after he was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma cancer in 1992.
The following year, he was honored at the ESPYS. He received an award and delivered a captivating speech many still know today.
“He challenged us to laugh, think, and cry, so we’d always have a full day,” she went on to say. “When he sat back down to sit next to me, he leaned over to my mom and myself and said, 'Did I do okay?' I whispered back, I think you did more than okay,” Jamie said.
Sadly, two months after his well-known speech, Jim Valvano lost his battle with cancer. In that speech, he highlighted and launched his foundation for cancer research called the V Foundation, hoping it would help save lives...like Jamie's.
“He prophetically spoke those words 13 years prior to my diagnosis,” Jamie said.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told by doctors it was most likely a genetic type.
“Not only did they know how to treat me and increase my chances of survival, but also because of cancer research, I am an 18-year cancer survivor,” she said.
To this day, her father's legacy continues through the V Foundation, his induction into the Hall of Fame, and this year’s March Madness Cinderella run for the NC State Wolfpack.
“I know my dad would be overjoyed the Wolfpack is heading to the Final Four,” she shared.
Many honored the late coach by placing flowers and NC State gear on his grave.
“It was almost as if my dad was sending us a message saying, I’m still here, and it really speaks to the power of legacy,” Jamie said with a smile.
It's a beautiful reminder he’s never forgotten.
"My dad left footprints in that '83 team, for this team now, to follow," she said.
As of this year, the V Foundation has raised more than $330 million for cancer research.
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