With goals to accomplish, dreams to follow, and a deep love for humanity, Jim Valvano captivated, inspired, and motivated people who were lucky enough to be in his presence. This man of the people demonstrated and communicated such an exuberance and enthusiasm for life that people beyond the sport’s spectrum began to recognize him as much more than just an athlete and a coach. Most importantly, people began to recognize Valvano as a fun-loving man of integrity and good character.
James Thomas Anthony Valvano, otherwise known as Jim Valvano or Jimmy V., was born on March 10, 1946 in Queens, New York to Rocco and Angelina Valvano. Being the middle child, Valvano, along with his two brothers Nick and Bob, grew up in a loving Italian household.
…show more content…
With a passion for sports, Valvano was a three sport athlete playing football, basketball, and baseball. At the age of 17 he already had insight into his professional aspirations which included playing college basketball, being an assistant basketball coach, being a head coach, winning a game at Madison Square Garden, and cutting down the net after winning a National Championship. As the next few decades of Jim Valvano’s life unfolded, he married his high school sweetheart, had three daughters, and made all his goals come to fruition.
First he achieved success playing basketball at Rutgers University, where he also became an assistant coach. From there he became a head coach at John Hopkins University where he gained the experience needed to move on to a larger program. A few years later, Valvano accomplished the goals he set out to achieve by becoming the head basketball coach at North Carolina State and winning a National Championship, all by the age of 36. From there his career led him to become an Athletic Director at North Carolina State as well as a basketball commentator and analysist for ABC/ESPN. He achieved success there too, winning the ACE Award for best commentator/analysist in 1992 for NCAA basketball, and also received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in 1993 at ESPN’s first American Sports Awards. However, the fiercest battle that Valvano had to face occurred in 1992 when he was diagnosed with Metastatic cancer, and although he lost his battle a year later, Valvano’s display of strength, courage, love of family, love of humanity, and life in general, inspired others to never give …show more content…
up. Jim Valvano’s attainment of success at such an early age inspired him to seek out and help others find ways to achieve their own success and fulfill their own dreams.
He captivated his audiences by being a man of the people and was able to substantiate his motivational messages through his accomplishments and integrity of character. His personality played a major role in his success, and his enthusiasm for life and his love of humanity, along with his wit and colorful sense of humor, gained him quick recognition as a motivational speaker. Running up and down the court looking for someone to hug and his speech that followed after his National Championship demonstrated Valvano’s assertive and direct nondefensive approach in communicating his messages of believing in dreams and never ever giving up. Whether it was speaking in the locker room or in front of a much bigger audience, Valvano’s positive attitude inspired everyone to set their sights high, even when others believed the goals to be unattainable. In accordance, his humanness and display of respect and dignity for all people demonstrated civility in his communication approach. His use of paralanguage, which consisted of variations in his inflection and intonation, being able to change pitch level depending upon the lightness or heaviness of the subject matter, and his stress upon words, made him capable of extracting emotion from his audiences, having the ability to make them laugh or cry along with him. Jim
Valvano also incorporated proper kinesics, utilizing effective eye contact, posture, and hand gestures, to engage and captivate his audiences. An example of this can be found in his ESPY speech. Physically being in such a frail condition and needing assistance to get to the podium, no one would ever have thought that he would be able to give the speech of his lifetime. His energy and enthusiasm shown through his gestures and movement demonstrated his strength of spirit. Valvano’s communication skills coupled along with his childlike enthusiastic love of life distinguished him from the rest. As the Jimmy V. Foundation stated, “He made you believe you mattered to him even if you only shared a brief encounter.” In conclusion, even when Jim Valvano was faced with his hardest battle, cancer, he still continued to demonstrate his love of life and humanity. Although it must have been hard for him to keep his faith and spirit and never give up, he continued to practice what he preached to his final days, believing that to have a worthwhile day a person must laugh, think, and have their emotions moved to tears, whether through joy or sorrow. No matter whether speaking to his team or to a large audience, Valvano effectiveness prevailed. It was a combination of being a man of character along with the content he delivered, which was always spoken from the heart that keeps Jim Valvano’s legacy alive today. Works Cited Page "Jim Valvano: The Speech of a Lifetime." Thewealthinwords. N.p., 17 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. . Mcg, Robert. "Jim Valvano, Colorful College Basketball Coach, Is Dead at 47." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Apr. 1993. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. . Valvano, Jamie. "Jim Valvano." The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The V Foundation for Cancer Research, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. .
The Metamorphosis of Johnny Tremain Johnny Tremain is like a butterfly; he went through a transformation. Johnny Tremain is a book by Esther Forbes about a crippled boy during the American Revolution and the events he endures. Johnny Tremain was a very dynamic character because people and events affected him. People change main characters in many books. Johnny Tremain is no exception.
Jim Valvano, otherwise known as “Jimmy V”, was a college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. This paper will cover Jimmy and define his true leadership qualities. Jimmy was an icon in the sports world not only for his coaching ability. He taught the world that leaders need a vision, leaders need to connect with their followers, and that leaders learn from their followers. Jimmy defied the rules and transformed his players into exceptionally good players and even better people. He taught more than basketball to his players and reached outside of his coaching arena to touch the lives of people across the world.
This book starts in the pre-revolutionary time. At the beginning of the book, Johnny Tremain, is working as an apprentice to Mr. Lapham. Mr. Lapham is a blacksmith. Johnny’s parents died in a fire several years before, and this is why he lived with the Laphams. He worked there with enthusiasm for several years until he hurt his arm, scolding it in hot metal. After the accident, Mr. Lapham told Johnny that he needs to find a different profession, but he can stay with the laphams.
The first personal traits that Coach Dale was forced to exhibit were his toughness and his assertiveness. On his first night in Hickory he met the men of town in the barbershop who were all willing to provide their experience and insight on the team and how to coach. Coach Dale had enough self confidence to know that none of these “insights” were going to help the Hickory team win basketball games and let them know they weren’t welcome by turning his back and walking out. Additionally, he was forced to demonstrate his toughness twice more on the first day of practice by telling the temporary coach, “Secondly, your days of coaching are over,” and then by standing up to the group of men after he dismissed Buddy from the team. These actions made no friends of the men; however, th...
If Brooks wants to inspire adolescent boys it essential for Brooks to select a successful person. No boy is inspired by a second string football player or a tennis player who consistently loses in the semifinals. No boy goes to a b...
In the following essay, I will argue that Herbert “Herb” Brooks was a charismatic leader due to his powerful motivation and his high expectations. He expected great things from the players he coached, but mostly, he expected them to think of the team and not themselves. He motivated with a powerful punch, mostly through fear, but was able to unite his teams and eventually the country.
Jim Brown saw a life outside of football. He wasn’t interested in just being known as the greatest athlete of all time. He was interested in making the greatest contribution in the world. From breaking through acting barriers to taking on society’s ills his aim is to give a new generation the courage to succeed. His accomplishments off the field were more impressive than those on the football field. (Jim Brown Biography)
John Wooden reached unimaginable heights during his basketball coaching career. Many consider him as the most successful coach of any sport to ever live. Wooden was consistent with his character and used his background to fuel his philosophy in order to design a pathway of success for each boy or man who ever played for him. He was more concerned with his character than with his reputation and this resulted in the respect and success Wooden gained during his lifetime. Although he passed away at age ninety-nine on June 4, 2010, he will always be considered a longtime success and great inspiration by many.
When I was accepted into the University of Oklahoma, I was not aware of the tradition or prestige that the football team carried. Moreover, I had no idea about the honor it was to don the crimson and cream in the arena of athletics. And, I never envisioned rooming with them. I enjoyed sports, but I loved reading and writing more. Initially, I was focused on building a collegiate career that one day would propel me to my goal of studying law. Yet, the more time I spent interacting with the athletes, the more parallels I noticed between their personalities and mine. Their diligence, perseverance and compassion were all traits that I could identify with since they were reflective of me. For the most part, the majority of the athletes were hungry to achieve and they desired knowledge at all costs; a combination that still resonates with me today.
Both on an off the field, my enthusiasm and motivation to obtain a goal is a trait that I am very proud of. I have faced many tasks where a leader had needed to step up and I am always willing to do so. I am also willing to get help when I need it. If I can’t complete a task by myself I do not mind asking a classmate, teammate, friend or a teacher for guidance. By bringing that openness and leadership to University of Charleston’s Athletic Training Program I believe that I can also attribute to the University of Charleston’s Mission Statement “to educate each student for a life of productive work, enlightened living, and community involvement.” By bettering the Athletic Training community by providing care to our Athletes I believe that I will be a great addition to the Athletic Training
...f a team and a legend”). He also became highly known for giving inspirational advice to players and helping the players not only on the field, in addition to off the field. One of his famous quotes. “The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel… These are the qualities that are so much more important than any of the events themselves” (Mckerley, 15).
“The odds of a high school basketball player making it to the “next level” to play college basketball (DI, II, or III) is slim. In fact, only 3.4% of high school players go on to play college basketball. Taking it even further, only 1.2% of college basketball players go on to get drafted in the NBA” (Winters, 2016). There are two types of players in the game. There are the kids who play basketball because they are athletic, and all they are seeking to gain is the recognition and awards. They want to be known. Those players are self-centered, they do not play for the team, and generally don’t play because they love the game. These are the types of players who don’t usually go on to play at the next level. On the other hand, there are the players that absolutely dedicate their life to the game of basketball just because they love the game. That is what coaches are looking for in a player, and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.
Flaherty, J. (2011). Coaching: Evoking excellence in others (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
Coaching, however challenging, is a great way to influence the lives of others while also building their character. For as long as there have been sports, there have been people teaching the sport to the players and making them better at it. Coaches must have certain qualities in order to obtain success. One must also look at a coach’s motivation for his job, his passion for what he does, his methods for coaching, and how he became a coach in order to fully understand him. There are many questions someone may want to ask a coach about his profession if they are interested in coaching. Some questions would include: Why did he choose this as a profession? How did he get into coaching? What does one have to do to get a job as a coach? How does a coach become successful? I aim to answer all of these questions and more in my paper.
In this report, a personal selection to find a company that would be a personal interest to have a career within in the upcoming future. Choosing a company that was best suited and most desirable was trialing, but found one that seemed interesting in a great career, and the selection was Salesforce.com. Salesforce.com was selected from the athmospher and leadership style that Marc Benioff has set into place. Marc Benioff, the founder and owner of Salesforce.com was more preperable due to the very unique leadership techniques, employee appreciation and charitable contributions that Mr. Benioff implemented in the company salesforce.com.