Jim Valvano’s Words Still Ring True in Prep & College Sports

Upsets Happen Because of the Faith and Determination Which Jimmy V Described at the ESPY’s 

“Don’t give up!  Never, ever give up!”  Those were the famous words spoken by former NC State head men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano at the inaugural ESPY Awards in New York City on March 4, 1993, just eight weeks before his death due to cancer.  

Valvano’s speech that evening 17 years ago have continued to inspire countless athletes and coaches across America.  We see examples of it each day in high school and college sports.  Outstanding athletic performances by individuals and teams in the form of upsets have been influenced his inspirational words ever since.  

As we have brought light to this fall on our blog pages, there have been an unusual number of upsets in regular season play in sports across the college spectrum.  But, upsets don’t just happen.  A lot of unseen things must converge for an upset to occur.  Mostly though, the underdogs must come to play that particular game or match with heightened sense of faith in one another and Valvano’s “never-give-up” approach is a must. 

You see, upsets ride on the shoulders of faith.  They don’t happen just because one player has a spectacular outing.  It takes a team’s faith in itself to accomplish what appears on the surface to be unattainable. 

In team sports, no one orchestrates an upset solo.  While an exceptional individual performance is typically a big part of any upset, he or she must have teammates to put them in the position to make exceptional plays in high-pressure competition — motivated teammates who recognize then seize the moment along with the help of a supportive fan base, all pulling in one direction.   

We can look back at some of the most well-documented upsets in the annals of sports history, but perhaps the most famous of all was the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team’s defeat of the vaunted Soviet Union team.  Never has there been a better example of a team which rode faith in themselves to such an unexpected and dramatic win.  Individually the U.S. team did not stack up anywhere close to talent-laden Soviet squad.  Yet, prepared then inspired by a driven head coach, and buoyed by the strength of every sports fan in America, the U.S. team took to the ice in Lake Placid, NY, with a level of faith in themselves which may never be equaled.  

Valvano’s legacy will always be his rousing speech that night in New York.  And, you can be assured that some version of his words of faith and determination are carried into every high school and college locker room every night an underdog faces overwhelming odds.  As coaches hunker down in front of their teams and challenge them to focus on what they’ve been trained to do and to have faith in themselves and their teammates, we occasionally get to witness one of those extraordinary and memorable moments in sports, the upset.