Dynamic Motivational Speaker. Passionate Educator. Advocate for Cancer Research. Documentarian.
Athlete. Coach. Leader.
One of the most revered athletes in North Carolina history, Dereck Whittenburg, is a former collegiate basketball player who played for North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the 1982-83 team that won the NCAA national championship. As a star guard on the men's basketball team, he helped lead former coach Jim Valvano's squad to a historic 54-52 victory over heavily-favored University of Houston and clinched the title of game MVP.
What people have to say about Dereck…
“That’s just what Dereck does,” says Cox, who met Whittenburg when the two were at N.C. State together in the early 1980s. “Helping people has always been in his wheelhouse. He is always in ‘give’ mode because of his success.”
— Leon Cox
“Jim loved Dereck,” says Mike MacDonald, who was a former assistant coach to Valvano at Iona and serves on the V Foundation board with Whittenburg. “He was always hugging Dereck. He would be really thrilled and very, very proud of Dereck’s accomplishments.”
— Mike MacDonald