NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Iona University Athletics is proud to announce a celebration of recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee Jim Valvano with a recognition ceremony at an upcoming men's basketball game. On Sunday, January 7, 2024, Valvano will have a banner raised to the rafters in his honor at halftime of the Maroon & Gold's contest vs. Niagara. Â Valvano served as head coach of the men's basketball program from 1975-1980, served as Director of Athletics from 1977-1980, and was inducted into the Iona University Arrigoni Hall of Fame in 1994.
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In five seasons as Iona's head coach, Valvano led the Gaels to a 95-46 (.674) record and remains top-five all-time in program history in wins and win percentage. Valvano taught Iona to "Dare to Dream" while recruiting some of the Maroon & Gold's finest talent ever and the results showed. Iona's 1979-80 team finished 29-5, setting a program record for wins that stands to this day. The Gaels were ECAC Champions and defeated eventual national champion Louisville, 77-60, in front of sold-out Madison Square Garden in February 1980, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Georgetown.
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In addition to his role as head men's basketball coach, Valvano served as Iona's Director of Athletics and is connected to nearly a dozen student-athletes, coaches and administrators who went on to become Arrigoni Hall of Fame inductees.
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After leaving Iona, Valvano won the 1983 NCAA Championship as the head coach of North Carolina State University and advanced to a pair of Elite Eights in 1985 and 1986. After his coaching career, he moved on to an award-winning career as a television broadcaster with ABC and ESPN. Valvano's most memorable moment came at the inaugural ESPY Awards on March 4, 1993, where he delivered his famous and inspiring speech in acceptance of the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. In the speech he also established the V Foundation for Cancer Research with its motto, "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." Valvano passed away a couple of weeks later at the age of 47.
"To me, there are three things we all should do every day... Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think, you should spend some time in thought. And number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears. Could be happiness or joy but think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special. - Jim Valvano, 1993 ESPY Awards.
Valvano will be the second Gael to have a banner raised in his honor, joining fellow Naismith Hall of Famer Richie Guerin '54 in the rafters at the Hynes Athletics Center.
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