Former N.C. State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano led the Wolfpack to the NCAA championship in 1983. In that game, Jimmy V's troops tallied the last basket at the buzzer to defeat the Houston Cougars.
Valvano charged the court, his long straggly black hair flying in his face. It was truly a great moment for Valvano as a coach. Ten years later, the Italian coach who frequently smoked cigars in his office while he reviewed paperwork, showed true grit and determination in his fight against bone cancer.
On March 4, 1993, fellow basketball colleagues, coach Mike Krzyzewski from Duke and the voice of college hoops, Dick Vitale, ushered Valvano to a podium to help him accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at ESPN's first ESPY Awards show.
Just as certain Americans remember former president John F. Kennedy say "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" or the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech, words from Valvano's touching soliloquy reverberate through my mind to this day. I have settled into this stage in life partly because of Valvano's words of information on that night of celebration for the world of sports. As Valvano gripped the sides of the podium to remain upright, he uttered, "Don't give up, don't ever give up."
Nearly two months later, on April 28, 1993, cancer claimed the life of James Thomas Valvano at age 47. To that fateful day, the former coach and TV commentator lived out his promise and motto.
As I entered Penn State as a freshman, that kernel of wisdom remained tucked in my mind, waiting for the exact moment to prove beneficial to a difficult decision. That moment came at the beginning of the fall semester during year four.
Two straight semesters I offered my services to The Daily Collegian as a writer. Two times I sat through the same exact speech from a news advisor, handing out words of encouragement. "We have editors on our staff right now that didn't get accepted on their first attempt," he'd say. Obviously, I thought he was full of stories. It was just a meager attempt to calm down the nervous freshmen and, in my case, distraught juniors. Two times I listened to the same load of bull. By the end of the process, Collegian staff chose who would become apart of the next class of candidates to prove their mettle in the college journalistic world. Trial three started just like clockwork. All week, I agonized over whether I should even attempt a blue book exam again. Preceding last fall, two failures supplanted a huge ego and firmly established my place here. I was quite certain the third time wasn't the proverbial charm.
Day after day of sessions with "the speech" continued that week. Finally, Thursday arrived on the calendar. With confidence at an all-time low, I used a painful migraine headache as an excuse not to even bother failing the last time, burying a frail body underneath of mountain of covers.
One can only take the Collegian exam three times before acceptance into the candidate program. The powers above prohibit a fourth encounter with "the speech" to end all speeches. Second, seniors can't compete for an open spot in the program. Strike two.
While wallowing in my own self-pity, suddenly, a voice pierced my ears; simultaneously a pair of hands pulled the blankets off the bed. No, it wasn't the apparition of the dearly departed man blowing a whistle. But, this person physically pushed me out of the apartment door, into my silver 1996 Toyota Tercel, drove me to the Collegian even though she didn't have a license and booted my sorry butt out onto the curb of Burrowes Street.
I realized Valvano's motto for life, "Don't give up," was all I had left. So, I didn't.
I read nearly the same prompt for the third straight exam. I wrote the best story about fires in Pattee Library I could imagine and steered through an interview with that guy that recycles the same speech for all fall, spring and summer potential candidates. When the dust cleared, the name Brian Hall appeared on the list of the Collegian's fall candidate class of 2000.
Coach Valvano faced a far tougher fight than I will ever face. But, the sheer determination of a man who refused to let a disease ruin his spirit and break his resolve, pushes me to make myself a better student, journalist and human being.
Coach Valvano never altered in his constant battle. Unlike the 1983 national championship game, "Jimmy V." ran out of time. The only advice I have for my fellow students focuses on a never ending promise, "Don't give up."
Now, here I am 15 or 16 months later, sitting behind a computer as the night sports editor of The Daily Collegian. It reinforces the fact that determination pays off in the end.
