Jimmy V Award

Jimmy V Award
A picture depicting the Jimmy V Award Trophy
The Jimmy V Award Trophy
Awarded for"a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination."[1]
LocationDolby Theatre, Los Angeles (2023)
Presented byThe V Foundation
First awarded2007
Currently held byLiam Hendriks
WebsiteOfficial website

The Jimmy V Award (sometimes called the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance)[2] is awarded as part of the ESPY Awards to "a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination".[1] The award is named in honor of North Carolina State University men's basketball coach Jim Valvano, who gave an acceptance speech after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 1993 ESPY Awards ceremony which "brought a howling, teary-eyed Madison Square Garden to its feet".[3] Valvano died from adenocarcinoma two months after receiving the award.[3] The Jimmy V Award trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan,[4] is presented at the annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles by The V Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 1993 by ESPN and Valvano to raise money to fund cancer research grants across the United States.[1]

The accolade's inaugural winner in 2007 was basketball coach Kay Yow, who successfully led the North Carolina State University women's team to the ACC tournament championship game, and the Sweet 16 (regional semi-finals) of the NCAA Division I Tournament after returning from sessions of breast cancer chemotherapy.[5] Although the award has usually been given to coaches or athletes, it has been presented to two reporters: Stuart Scott (2014) and Craig Sager (2016).[6][7] The award has been shared twice: Team Hoyt (2013), consisting of the father and son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt,[8] and the father and daughter combination of Devon Still and Leah Still (2015).[9] The 2023 recipient of the Jimmy V Award was Liam Hendriks, an Chicago White Sox closer who was diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and returned to play following his being declared cancer free in April 2023.[10]

  1. ^ a b c "V Foundation". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Robles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Czachor, Emily Mae (July 13, 2017). "Celebrating 25 years, the ESPYs have become more than a sports awards show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. ^ Avard, Christian (August 2, 2013). "Sculptor commissioned to complete Joe Frazier statue has died". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  5. ^ Auten, Taylor (July 19, 2007). "NC State's Yow wins Jimmy V award at ESPYs". College Sports Television. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Bethea, April (July 17, 2014). "Stuart Scott accepts Jimmy V Award at ESPYs". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  7. ^ Farber, Madeline (July 14, 2016). "Watch Sportscaster Craig Sager Deliver an Inspirational Speech at the ESPY Awards". Fortune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Annear, Steve (July 18, 2013). "'Team Hoyt' Receives Recognition at the Annual ESPY Awards". Boston. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Gentille, Sean (July 15, 2015). "Devon Still gives powerhouse speech for daughter Leah at ESPYs". Sporting News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2023Winner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).