RALEIGH, N.C. — The hopes and dreams of Wolfpack Nation are on the line for the Final Four showdown in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but N.C. State can rest easy knowing one family’s pre-game tradition has been propelling the Pack toward each W.
Ben and Sarah Riedlinger’s love for N.C. State runs deep. The couple went to college there together and started their family in Raleigh.
Recently, they learned former N.C. State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano was laid to rest in their neighborhood in Raleigh’s historic Oakwood Cemetery.
It’s been more than 40 years since Valvano led the Wolfpack to a national championship in the NCAA tournament in 1983, coining the phrase, “Survive and Advance,” and later inspiring others to never give up, especially when fighting cancer.
In his final months, Valvano created the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has allocated more than $353 million in grants for cancer research across the country.
As the ACC tournament was wrapping up, the Riedlingers began bringing fresh flowers to Jimmy V’s grave during their afternoon walks with their daughters, Olivia, 3, and Naomie, 1.
One visit transformed into a pre-game family tradition that has resulted in a Wolfpack win each time.
“Everyone knows about Jimmy V and his legacy. And, you know, we’re talking with cancer research now with the ’83 team and afterwards everything he did with his speech,” Ben Riedlinger said. “It’s meaningful and, yeah, it’s just really neat and special.”
With each Wolfpack win, Riedlinger has posted the memorial on social media, resulting in a massive growth of flowers, tokens and mementos left on Valvano’s headstone.
Other fans, like Keith Wilson, took notice and came by to pay their respects.
“I remember watching, Jimmy V coach, when they won the national championship in ’83,” Wilson said. “His spirit was just something that, we later on realized how much spirit he really had. And he’s given me my chance, because I have cancer now, too.”
Riedlinger says it’s been surreal seeing the Raleigh community and North Carolina come together to support the men’s team.
“Just seeing how, you know, a lot of other N.C. state fans are thinking the same thing. I’ve been coming by dropping things off, sometimes to even see them there, as well as like we saw here, some other N.C. state fans at the same time. It’s just, it’s cool to kind of experience that together,” he said.
The Wolfpack take on top-seeded Purdue at 6 p.m. Saturday.