Coach Yow Peacefully Passes Saturday Morning
1/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. -- One of the most beloved figures in NC State history and one of the most respected coaches in the nation, Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow, died peacefully this morning after a long, heroic battle with breast cancer.
Yow, 66, had been supported by her family and her staff in the last several days and was even able to visit with her entire team at WakeMed Cary Hospital earlier this week.
Yow, who was in her 38th year of coaching, will be remembered for the hundreds and thousands of lives she touched through basketball and through her tireless efforts to fight cancer.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Coach Yow for the last 15 seasons. I suddenly find myself grasping to retain everything she has ever said and ever taught me, said interim head coach Stephanie Glance.
”Each of us who has had the special opportunity to learn from her and share wonderful friendships with her now has a special part of Coach Yow in us that will live on as long as we pay it forward and mirror her legacy of always giving to others. She has instilled in each of us what it means to be winners as people, and if we are winners as people then we will have our best shot at winning on the court. I know I speak for all former and current players and staff when I say with a swell of heartfelt emotion that she will truly be missed each moment of everyday."
Yow announced Jan. 6 that she would not return to the team this season as she continued her fight against a disease she was first diagnosed with in 1987. She said at the time it was one of the hardest decisions she has ever had to make.
The Hall of Fame coach had been in the hospital on the recommendation of her oncologist, Dr. Mark Graham, who cited it, was in her best interest to get the proper care she needed at the time.
The disease first recurred during the 2004-05 season, forcing her to miss two games that year and 16 more in the 2006-07 season.
Yow had missed four straight games this season before taking leave with what was described as an extremely low energy level.
“Everyone who had the privilege of knowing Kay Yow has a heavy heart today,” said Lee Fowler, Director of Athletics at NC State. “Her record and the honors she has received over the years are evidence of her abilities as a coach, but the former student-athletes who come back year after year and bring their children to visit her are a testament to the type of person she was. She was a blessing to many people because of her strong faith. She faced every opponent, whether on the basketball court or in a hospital room, with dignity and grace. She will be greatly missed.”
A native of Gibsonville, N.C., Yow led the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold medal in 1988, directed her Wolfpack club to the 1998 Final Four and in 2002, became just the fifth female coach inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
"We have lost a great person, coach, leader and friend," said Chancellor James Oblinger. "Coach Yow’s courage, passion for her work, strength and humility despite her personal challenges inspired all of us. She epitomized what a coach and role model should be. Her influence will be felt for years to come. The Wolfpack Nation and everyone who followed her successes on the court and her struggles off the court were blessed by Kay Yow’s life. She will be profoundly missed."
She entered her 34th season as head mentor of the Wolfpack women’s program in 2008-09. Her NC State record of 680-325 left her as one of only three women’s coaches at the Division I level to coach 1,000 games at one institution. On Dec. 14 in a victory over Ole Miss, Coach Yow took her place alongside legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and former Texas coach Jody Condradt.
Yow’s all-time collegiate record of 737-344 spanned 38 seasons, four with Elon College. She was one of just six coaches to ever compile over 700 victories and began this season as the most tenured coach in the active ranks.
There is really no right place to begin talking about Coach Yow. Her accomplishments extend beyond the basketball world, but it is within that world that she has become so accomplished.
Yow guided her squads to 20 NCAA Tournaments, 11 trips to the Sweet 16, and a trip to the Elite Eight and Final Four in 1998. She collected five (1978, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1990) Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships, four (1980, 1985, 1987, 1991) ACC Tournament titles, amassed 21, 20-win seasons and a staggering 29 winning seasons.
In December 2007, the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation was established as a charitable organization committed to finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancers. She was also involved in the creation of “Hoops 4 Hope”, a basketball game centered around a cure for breast cancer. The fourth annual game will take place Feb. 15 at Reynolds Coliseum.
Yow was forced to take a leave of absence because of progression in her breast cancer and missed roughly two months (16 games) of the 2006-07 season, but fought back to make a triumphant return to the bench in a win over long-time rival Virginia on January 26, 2007. Later on that season in a win over No. 2-ranked North Carolina, the Reynolds Coliseum court was christened “Kay Yow Court”.
In 1975, Yow was hired by Willis Casey to be the head coach of the women’s basketball program at NC State. She was installed as the head coach of both the softball and volleyball teams and was the coordinator of women's sports - all while developing women’s basketball in its infancy.
Yow will always be recognized as one of the most admired and respected coaches that ever competed on the national and international scene. She was a leader, role model, mentor, coach, supporter, community friend and entrepreneur. As for women’s basketball history, Yow’s name will most certainly be delivered in the same breath as those words forever more. She was there for the implementation of Title IX and the first NCAA Tournament in 1982. Yow never relented her pursuit to improve the sport of women’s basketball despite all of her achievements. The game was good to her, but more importantly, Yow was instrumental for the game.
Other Quotes:
John Swofford- ACC commissioner
“What an impact Kay had on so many. Whether one of her players, an opposing coach, a friend, an associate in the world of sports or one who observed her grace, dignity, elegance, kindness and competitive spirit from a distance, you couldn’t help but be touched by her presence in our world. Kay was a very special lady. All of us associated with the ACC will miss her immensely, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, loved ones and team.
Beth Bass - WBCA CEO
“Words cannot even begin to express the impact that Coach Yow had on me personally and on this Association. I have known her for 32 years, and she is by far one of the most amazing people I have had the opportunity to get to know. Her legacy and impact will continue to live on even in her passing through her Foundation leading us toward a cure. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family. This is a very sad day for all of us.”
Marsha Sharp - Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund President
“What a sad day for all of us with the loss of such a dear coach, friend and mentor, Kay Yow. It is humbling to serve as the President of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, and to have the opportunity to uphold her legacy of faith, integrity, inspiration and leadership through the Fund. I am positive that she would want us all to unite and find a way to continue the battle that she fought for years. We WILL find a cure for cancer.”
Nick Valvano - CEO of The V Foundation for Cancer Research
“I am honored to have a Fund established in partnership with The V Foundation that bears the name of Kay Yow. Her courage, faith and legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of those she helped to inspire throughout her coaching career and battle with cancer.”
Herb Sendek - Arizona State Head Men's Basketball Coach and former NC State men's coach
I am grateful for the time we shared with Kay. She was gentle, caring and full of love. She was strong in her faith and was inspiring to us. She will remain with us in special and everlasting ways.
Sylvia Hatchell - North Carolina Head Women's Basketball Coach
"Kay was a real treasure to me. She was a jewel of a person, an outstanding coach, but more than anything a dear friend. She always represented herself and NC State with tremendous honor, grace and style, and her presence and competitive spirit will be greatly missed in the ACC. I don't know of anyone in the world of women's basketball that doesn't owe a debt of gratitude to Kay. She will truly be missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with her staff and her players."
Dick Baddour - Director of Athletics at UNC
"It is with a profound sense of sadness that we learned of the passing of Kay Yow. She was a wonderful person, a Hall of Fame coach, a giant in college athletics and an inspiration to everyone who faces tremendous adversity and challenges. We celebrate her grace, dignity and the determination she displayed on the court and while battling cancer for more than 20 years. Coach Yows spirit elevated the rivalry between our two schools and the game of basketball. Sylvia Hatchell and Beth Miller, our senior womens administrator, competed against Coach Yows teams for 30-plus years, yet counted her as one of their dearest friends. That says a lot about the person she was and the class she displayed. I know everyone at the University of North Carolina joins me in expressing our deepest sympathies to the Yow family and the NC State community."
Joanne P. McCallie - Duke Head Women's Basketball Coach
“It was just so mixed. She has been such a warrior in terms of her fight and her struggle, but a part of me is just feeling great for her to be going home to a better place for her now. It’s hard to describe the feeling; it’s hard to put it into words. I’ve never seen a woman or known a woman to share a story, her story, so eloquently under such incredible conditions. The courage that she showed, a lot of people are afraid. They’re afraid to share their story. Kay was never afraid. I just know that it had to be a very peaceful thing for her. I’ve not known her very long, and I don’t know her extremely personally, but I feel like I know her character, and I think that’s the interesting thing about Kay Yow. You may not know her personally or had lunch perhaps, but the reality is you know her character and you know what she stands for. In our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers go out to North Carolina State and the entire North Carolina State family, that incredibly talented team. It’s much more personal and direct for them. We grieve with them, but we also celebrate with them. There’s a lot to celebrate there.
She transcends the basketball community. She’s been a historic leader in a very difficult circumstance for women’s health and issues. It transcends the game of basketball, and she was able to use the game of basketball in its proper context to make people better, to help people, to communicate. I still can never get over how pink’ took over. The thing I’ll always think about with Kay is how she made pink. She made pink something special. For the longest time, pink was something soft and feminine and suddenly it became this courageous fight that everyone’s been united in, and that was one her many legacies. She made pink more beautiful than pink could ever be.”
Pat Summitt - Tennessee Head Women's Basketball Coach
“My heart goes out to the Yow family and the N.C. State Wolfpack nation on the passing of a truly remarkable lady and a dear friend in Kay Yow. In the two decades she fought the disease, Kay never allowed herself to be victimized by cancer. Kay never pitied herself. Instead, she tried to bring awareness to the horrible disease that was robbing her of her life. Through her foundation in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, she did all that she could do to help others. That was just Kay. Helping to get the cancer fund off the ground put Kay on a mission. She fought for cancer funding the same way she fought the disease... positive and determined every step of the way. Kay was passionate about life and coaching. She was a giver and she gave so much to every life she touched. She made a difference in the lives of so many people, not just the life lessons she shared with her student-athletes at Elon or North Carolina State.”
Summitt on coaching with Kay Yow in the 1984 Olympics:
“I was a young coach of 32 when I was asked to coach the 1984 Olympic Team. When I decided who my number one assistant would be, I knew that I had to choose someone who would be loyal...who knew the game...someone I could trust and someone with great wisdom. When it came time to make that decision, I picked Kay Yow. Kay had great wisdom. She had a special way of telling you things that you really didn’t want to hear but needed to. Kay was not a yes’ woman. She accepted the challenge of helping me to bring home the first gold medal to the United States in women’s basketball. It was a daunting task but Kay made it so much easier by helping to relieve the pressure.
"She was an excellent communicator and had such a great rapport with our Olympic players. I learned so much from her on how to better communicate with your players. She definitely always knew the pulse of our team and had a calmness about her that was so settling to me as a young coach trying to bring home the gold while playing in front of the home team USA fans. Those memories that I shared with Kay will last a lifetime and I will always look back at them fondly and think of her.”
Gail Goestenkors - Texas Head Women's Basketball Coach
Today is a sad day for all of women’s basketball. Kay was loved and respected by everyone, and we all feel blessed to have been a small part of her life. Our game is forever changed because of her. Kay’s impact on the players she had the opportunity to coach and teach, and the impact on her colleagues and friends, cannot be measured. She touched everyone in such an incredible way that we all felt like we were good friends of Kay’s. I have nothing but love and respect for her. Her legacy will live on forever in our game.
Jody Condradt - Former Texas Head Women's Basketball Coach
"Kay was an impact leader in our sport and was truly and widely beloved. She had a rare level of optimism and sense of calm in the face of her health adversity. Just as she shared her love of basketball and competitiveness, she shared her passion and desire to fight cancer. Her lasting legacy is 4Kay -- part of the V Foundation. None of us could leave a more important message behind."
Katie Meier - Miami Head Women's Basketball Coach
“The sadness that everyone is feeling right now is from the void that is now in our lives. Kay Yow touched everyone that met her and millions that never had the opportunity. Her indomitable spirit and courage was an inspiration to all the people and families that have fought breast cancer. This classy and joyful woman is what coaches across the country try to model ourselves after. Her faith and dignity is what we try to instill into our student-athletes everyday. I have been truly blessed to have shared part of my life and memories with this beautiful woman.”
Cristy McKinney - Clemson Head Women's Basketball Coach and former player at NC State
"This is a hard day for me personally and professionally. I was fortunate to be a member of Coach Yow's first N.C. State team. That opportunity helped shape my career and my life. Coach Yow has been my coach, my mentor and my friend for 34 years. She was a remarkable, strong and passionate woman who was always there for the Wolfpack women family. Although I feel a lot of sadness today, I also feel some peace because I know Coach Yow is in a better place. Her faith allowed her to be the woman she was. The world lost a special person today, but Heaven gained a special angel."
Brenda Freese - Maryland Head Women's Basketball Coach
"Coach Yow might be gone, but she's touched so many lives and inspired so many people that her legacy will live on forever. She's a giant in our game and for all the right reasons. When I first got to the ACC, it didn't take long to figure out that Coach Yow was always about what was good for the sport and good for others. As a coach, she always got the most out of her team and they were always incredibly well prepared. Obviously, with her sister Debbie as my boss, we shared a connection. A couple weeks ago we got the message that things weren't going well, so our players wrote cards to Coach Yow expressing our support. If there's a team in heaven, I know she's already coaching it. In this time of grief, our hearts and thoughts are with the Yow and N.C. State families."
Nancy Lieberman - ESPN basketball analyst and Basketball Hall of Fame member
"I don't know if there is anyway to sugar coat this. I love Kay Yow! For her lifetime of giving to her faith, friends and all of us in the basketball community. Her reach has touched generations and will influence how we go forward and treat people in the future. She is a Hall of Fame Women!