Finished: Valvano

Valvano: They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead is the autobiography of Jim Valvano, who coached the North Carolina State Wolfpack basketball team for several years, including their 1983 title season.

This book was written before Valvano had cancer, so it deals with his coaching career and with the allegations that caused him to lose his job at NC State. If you are a college basketball fan, or if you are interested in coaches, this is an interesting read.

Two warnings: First, know that the last 1/3 of the book is a time-line of events that led up to Valvano’s termination. It has little to do with “on the court” issues. Second, the book is quite lengthy. While the number of pages isn’t all that many, there are a ton of words on each page, making it an awkward read.

If you like college basketball, find a used copy online and enjoy Valvano. You can find it on Amazon for less than $1 (plus shipping).