If you were to ask fans of Jim Boeheim to rattle off a list of amazing feats attributed to this iconic basketball coach, the request would prove no challenge.

Even just a glimpse of Jim’s career—32 consecutive years as Syracuse University's men's head basketball coach, 25 trips to the NCAA tournament (including three Final Four appearances and a national championship), induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, assistant coach to U.S. teams competing in World Championships—well, suffice to say that his accomplishments have made him a nationally known figure.

Yet underneath the accolades is a man who actually underestimates his “star power.” Consider this anecdote from his wife, Juli: “I remember saying to him once, ‘Hey, let’s take the kids to an NBA game,’ and his reply was, ‘Where am I going to get the tickets?’”

Described by Juli as “well grounded and solid,” Jim is the ideal representative not only for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), but also for the fundraiser to which he and many other coaches lend their names and energy: the Coaches vs. Cancer® (CvC) collaboration between the NABC and the American Cancer Society.

Established in 1993, CvC today includes more than 500 NABC coaches and 100 high school coaches who work throughout the year to raise funds for the Society and to increase awareness about the fight against cancer.

The ‘BasketBall’

Jim, a native New Yorker, began his basketball career as a walk-on at SU his freshman year, rising to team co-captain as a senior. He played in a minor league for four years before returning to SU as an assistant coach. In 1976, he became leader of the men’s “Orange,” a title he’s owned for half of his life.

After he and Juli married in 1997, she, a Southerner raised mostly in Alabama and Kentucky, adopted the Syracuse way of life—long winters and a tremendous focus on one sport in particular. She and Jim have two sons and a daughter, son Jimmy, age 9, and twins Jack and Jamie, 8. (Jim also has a daughter, Elizabeth, 22.) Theirs is a chaotic, often stressful, lifestyle, as a career in coaching is analogous to a roller coaster ride, with wins, losses, player injuries, travel, recruitment and media attention. Making time to volunteer for Coaches vs. Cancer is a testament to the generosity of spirit those involved have.

Juli first learned about CvC through Jim. A friend of Jim’s secured speaking engagements for him at various companies, which in turn would make a donation to CvC. “I remember thinking, ‘What is this thing that you get up for so early, that you’re so excited about and motivated to do?’ And the more I learned about it, the more I thought, ‘This is great!’”

She says she casually mentioned to Society representatives to let her know if there was ever anything she could do to help. A few weeks later, Jim Satalin, the Society’s national director of CvC, suggested—perhaps, a gala? At first, Juli balked. It felt too overwhelming. But then, a friend with a background in fundraising agreed to lend a hand.

Juli became optimistic the event could be a success; Jim was less confident the support would materialize. In 2000, the first CvC “BasketBall” fundraising gala unfolded at the Oncenter Complex in downtown Syracuse. Plans included dinner, entertainment, dancing, and live and silent auctions.

“We stood and greeted every person who came in the door, 650 people that first year,” says Juli. “When we got home, Jim was emotional about it. He said, ‘How do we top that!?’ It was such a great night, and he was truly touched.

“But we did top it, and year after year. And it’s not us, it’s this community. This is not a thriving metropolis, but the people just come out. This community is amazing.”

Cancer: up close and personal

The very next year, Jim learned he would personally be battling cancer. After coping with increasingly difficult symptoms of an enlarged prostate, he underwent additional testing in November 2001. The results indicated precancerous cells.

Cancer was no stranger to Jim or Juli. Jim’s father died of an advanced case of prostate cancer and his mother from leukemia. On Juli’s side of the family, her mother is a breast cancer survivor.Juli’s fear was that Jim—smack in the middle of basketball season—would postpone treatment. Instead, he flew to St. Louis to meet with renowned prostate cancer surgeon William Catalona, MD. Surgery to remove the prostate was recommended, and Jim agreed.

“I had some friends who had had the surgery, and I quickly found out that in an early stage, there’s a very good chance you’re going to be fine,” says Jim. “But the surgery is still major, so you’re going to be apprehensive, for sure.”

Jim missed only two games in December and was right back on the bench. He didn’t need radiation or chemotherapy. Did his personal experience make his commitment to CvC even stronger? “I was committed to this long before my own diagnosis,” he says. “I think cancer is something that hits everybody. I recently lost my best friend to cancer, so I think there’s always some reminder that we have to do all we can to fight this disease.”

Pulling out all the stops

Both are quick to mention the many coaches, and coaches’ wives, who have made a difference. Last year, Tish Brey, wife of Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey, hosted a breakfast for coaches’ wives during the Final Four tournament to increase awareness and participation in CvC. Carolyn Carlesimo, wife of Seattle SuperSonics Coach P.J. Carlesimo, shared her battle with Hodgkin lymphoma. Juli volunteered with the breakfast again this year in San Antonio, with breast cancer survivor Monica Thompson serving as keynote speaker. (Monica’s husband is Georgetown Coach John Thompson, III.)

As schools join CvC, they can tailor events to what might prove successful in their area. Last year, three schools piloted a “Walk with the Team” event.

The Boeheims have recorded commercials for businesses that make significant donations to CvC, and have set up basketball hoops in SU’s backcourt where kids pay a dollar in hopes of sinking a free-throw and winning a basketball.

This year, the Boeheims will host their first golf tournament and poker tournament, as well as take a cruise, Juli says with a chuckle: “Cruise with the Boeheims to Bermuda,” to raise even more dollars.

Topping last year’s gala—their eighth, which included 912 guests and netted $420,000—may be difficult, but don’t rule it out.

“I think the Philadelphia schools (St. Josephs’, Temple, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova, Drexel and LaSalle) may have raised more money the past couple of years than we have, but I always kid them—you know, they’re six schools, and we’re only one,” says Jim. “Overall, we’ve raised nearly $4 million here [since 2000].”

It’s friendly competition for a good cause, of course, as the Boeheims travel across the country to support other schools hosting their first galas. And hearts are always in the right place.

“I think because we’ve all been touched by cancer so much, we’re screaming to change this,” says Juli. “How can we do that? Well, it comes down to dollars.”

Adds Jim, “I think when you meet the survivors—especially the kids—it renews your passion. There are some successes, but I think the failures push you more; when you see somebody who doesn’t make it through, you want to raise more money to find some way that won’t happen again.”