Sports
Late College Basketball Coach from Seaford Touching Lives in Death
Seaford High School graduate Jim Valvano helped found V Foundation for Cancer Research, which recently received $1 million at annual ESPN golf fundraiser.
Nearly 20 years after dying from cancer at age 47, alum Jim Valvano is continuing to touch lives through a charity he helped found aimed at battling the disease that claimed his life.
The legendary college basketball coach, who led North Carolina State to a dramatic national title in 1983, helped launch the V Foundation for Cancer Research shortly before his death on April 28, 1993. Two decades later, the V Foundation has helped make strides toward finding cures and treatments for various forms of cancer including awarding over $90 million to more than 100 research facilities nationwide. The charity has Seaford roots with the late Valvano’s wife Pam and brother Nick, both Seaford High School graduates, serving as chairwoman and CEO, respectively.
On July 10, the V Foundation continued its momentum in combatting cancer when it received from the Team ESPN’s 12th annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic in Industry Hills, Calif. ESPN first began its partnership with the V Foundation after Valvano delivered an inspiring speech about his cancer battle just eight weeks before his death at the first ESPY Awards on March 3, 1993.
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“As always, The V Foundation extends our gratitude to our ESPN family for their unwavering commitment to our cause,” said Nick Valvano in a statement. “My brother Jim knew that beating cancer would require a team, and we could not ask for a better partner.”
Valvano and his two brothers Nick and Bob played basketball at Seaford High School for their father Rocco. The late Valvano also played football and baseball for the Vikings.
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The annual Jimmy V Men's Basketball Classic in honor of Valvano featuring a college basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, is scheduled for Dec. 4. For further information on the V Foundation, log onto the organization’s website.
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