Nearly a quarter century ago, I had the fortune to attend the 2001 ESPYs in Las Vegas. Before and since, I've always maintained a general repulsion to awards shows, but, in retrospect, this was a wonderful experience. Furthermore, it was amidst a more innocent time in the culture.
Samuel L. Jackson mastered the ceremonies for his second time. (He would go on to host twice more.)
One memorable part of the evening was when golfer Jack Nicklaus was honored for his great career. Every time Nicklaus said "thank you" to the crowd, a fellow in the upper deck bellowed out for all the arena to hear, "No Jack! Thank you! Thank you, Jack!" Strange, but incredible.
It was pre-9/11, pre-Obama, pre-coronamania, and so forth. 'Twas a different world indeed.
After the show, the casino floor at the MGM Grand became a mecca for various stars of sports and entertainment. It's hard for me to still imagine myself after the show, a young twentysomething rubbing elbows & playing $5-$10 blackjack with celebrities of all stripes—sports heroes and movie stars and everyone in between. Bonkers.
Some of those guys hamming it up with the hoi polloi—those with maybe a good film or two under their belts back then—are now legends. (For context: the new version of Ocean's Eleven (2001) started principal photography in Vegas two days later.)
We'll never get that back.
The great Dennis Miller hosted the first two ESPY Awards. The inaugural 1993 ESPY event at Madison Square Garden still remains the most famous and memorable of the ESPYs shows.
For good reason. The most notable and replayed ESPY speech of all-time came during the 1993 production. It was given by Coach Jim Valvano, who 10 years earlier had guided his North Carolina State Wolfpack to the NCAA basketball championship.
Tragically, Jimmy V would die of metastatic adenocarcinoma (cancer) less than two months after giving his famous speech.
For the full ESPY speech by Coach Valvano:
The key line in the speech was, "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." Amazing. Tear-jerking. All the rest of it.
But Valvano's whole speech was fantastic. When I look back on it, Jimmy V had something more important to say than not giving up. It was merely part of his nature that this man would never quit. He was tough.
He wanted to do more than tell someone something they've heard a million times. He used the forum to teach us about perspective and how to achieve greatness. It was just the kind of guy he was.
"I always have to think about what’s important in life. To me, it’s three things: where you started, where you are, and where you’re going to be. Those are the three things that I try and do every day."
Every day. Constant evaluation.
Most of us don't do this. Even if we do, it's not with the rigor and intensity that Coach Valvano may have done it with.
The salad days of sports and awards shows may well be permanently relegated to history, but the lessons from some of the greats will never be lost.
As always,
Brian
P.S. – Valvano coached on the hardwood for two decades, but perhaps his most important lessons were given off the court. Still a coach until the end, even if there was no ball.
When you're talking about taking lessons from the field of play into real life, Jimmy V is one of the great role models.
Every day, we take lessons from sports and business and translate them into "real life." For more:
