Three minutes before they could take the field, Lombardi comes in, bangs the door open, and I think you all remember what great presence he had, great presence. Since Jim and ESPN started the V Foundation in 1993, we have been incredibly fortunate to work with dedicated, passionate partners in the quest to declare Victory Over Cancer®. When people say to me, how do you get through life or each day? It may not save my life. I can't help it. If we didn't know about it, results might have been completely different. I said, fine. "[Former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders' fight with cancer has] had an amazing effect on me. I'm going to work as hard as I can for cancer research and hopefully, maybe, we'll have some cures and some breakthroughs. Which means there is more than one way to fight it. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special. But if I told you it's 10 times the amount that goes in to cancer research, I also told you that 500,000 people will die this year of cancer, and I also tell you that one in every four will be afflicted with this disease. You have to have a dream, a goal. "James Thomas Anthony Valvano, He's an Italian. All eyes on me. , Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award recipient in 2013. , former Rutgers teammate and co-captain and former chair emeritus of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research: , Jim Valvano's widow and chairwoman of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research: , former Rutgers teammate and co-captain and board chairman emeritus of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research: , 2018 Jimmy V Award recipient, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback: Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, Time is very precious to me. I remember a number of occasions, once he called me to his room across from the studio we were working at the next night. They don't open. People ask me all the time about how you go through your life and how's your day, and nothing is changed for me. "We played against each other as players, and we coached up North, and then we came South -- or mid-Atlantic -- together and, you know, I'm not sure we liked each other. Lombardi, what he said was he didn't go in, he waited. Read more Your family, your religion and Rutgers basketball. He's not there. It was amazing he said that in the speech and amazing it came true. "The advice to 'think, laugh and cry' every day applies to all of us 25 years later, as it will 25 years from now. We were the Italian and the WASP, the odd couple. I need your help. I rode on the plane up today with Mike Krzyzewski, my good friend and wonderful coach. Sometimes sports becomes a moment in time that reaches far beyond the X's and O's. I remember where I came from. We can do it, together. And just to educate and enlighten the youth as well.". The mortality of the disease became abundantly apparent, but Jimmy V also proved that the finality of the disease doesn't have to be so final. Help the coach out, help him out. I think it has to do with the foundation. I want to bring it back on the front table. Sports is sports -- until it isn't. Less than two months after his famous ESPY speech, Valvano died following a nearly yearlong battle with metastatic cancer. Now I did like Lombardi, I walked back and forth, and I was going like that with my arm getting the feeling back in it. And that's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. He had to use it at the end, to kill the pain. I want to give it next year! So my idol as a coach was Vince Lombardi, and I read this book called "Commitment to Excellence" by Vince Lombardi. "I think I remember the day that [the speech] actually happened most. That's the lowest I've ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting. That's a heckuva day. You got a lot, hey, Và Fà a Napoli, buddy. "His mind, his heart and his soul, they really do go on forever with this foundation. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom. This fund works to close the gap and racial disparities as we move toward victory. People think I have courage. Speech No. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to even be mentioned in the same breath with Arthur Ashe. Arthur Ashe Foundation is a wonderful thing, and AIDS, the amount of money pouring in for AIDS is not enough, but it is significant. "I've seen this speech a lot. I remember that. Coach Holtz, who doesn't like the very first job you had? That's being the son of Rocco and Angelina Valvano. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting. And it's very important. It may save my children's lives. I want to bring it back on the front table. It was miraculous that he was that way during those months, and thank God he was. "Gentlemen, we'll be successful this year if you can focus on three things, and three things only. I never lost a coach before, and to have a guy who literally gave me the life that I live now, it was an amazing experience to go through that with him. He was battling cancer at this time, he was watching a Frank Sinatra show with shorts on and just started punching the walls, screaming, tears streaming down his face. He then went on to coach the freshman team at Rutgers, which eventually led to his most notable coaching feat: leading North Carolina State to the national championship in 1983. He always found it difficult coaching young, who were kids his own age. I talked about my family; my family's so important. If you see me, smile and maybe give me a hug. Oh, that's wonderful [reaction to applause], and I was the freshman coach. Donate Today, Alpha Phi Alpha, V Foundation Raise Funds for Memorial, V Foundation Funds Cancer Research in the Black Community. For Jim to be that forceful and that dynamic that night while suffering from cancer more than anybody knew was nothing short of remarkable. If you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day. I was coaching at Rutgers University. Background Jim Valvano (Jimmy V) was an American basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. It may not save my life. I was looking for hope, I was looking for strength, I was looking for someone who had done 'it' before. Fight until the end. I said to Jimmy, 'On national TV! 1993. Together, we strive for Victory Over Cancer®. "Jimmy and emotion, that was his way of life. Dereck Whittenburg on why being involved with the V Foundation is important to him. "It's humbling to now be included on the long list of inspirational and courageous recipients of this prestigious award. It brings back memories that weren't good, before the speech. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom, who's right here too. '", Bob Lloyd, former Rutgers teammate and co-captain and board chairman emeritus of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research: I'm going to do that. with ESPN's support, which means what? I got tumors all over my body. We need money for research. Under the Microscope: Eavesdropping on Cancer-Killing Cells, with Help from Ancient Bacteria, More than $5 Million Awarded to Pediatric Cancer Research Grants through the V Foundation, $10.3 Million Awarded by the V Foundation in 2020, Under the Microscope: Making Gynecologic Cancer Screening Simpler, Safer with At-Home Test Kit. "I remember the first time that I heard the speech. Imagine your worst toothache, and run it through your body, he said. No. I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You get ready. The video came to an end, and the harsh reality that this great man with this great outlook and passion, a man who had moved millions of people to champion a cause that was tiptoed around at the time, a man who seemingly could do anything that he set his mind to, had passed away from this awful disease.