My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.

Valvano frames “belief” as a formative, almost material inheritance: the confidence a parent instills can become a lifelong engine for risk-taking, resilience, and achievement. By calling it “the greatest gift,” he elevates emotional affirmation above money, status, or instruction—suggesting that being trusted and seen as capable is what enables a person to grow into capability. The line also reflects Valvano’s broader public persona as a coach and motivator: success is not only tactical or physical but psychological, rooted in encouragement and faith from mentors. In a memorial context, it reads as gratitude and as a model of how to empower others.