Carolina Girl Kay Yow Passes Away

Hall of Fame Coach Kay Yow

Ironically, I was at the luncheon today Welcoming Newcomers to our area. We were enjoying a fun lunch when a girlfriend on the team with me answered her cell phone, I was not listening, but suddenly she stopped talking.

Flip, her cell phone closed shut. It was the only noise in the room. She looked at me and said, "Kay Yow just died." I paused. Even though I do not know her, she was a huge presence in North Carolina as the NC State Women's Basketball Coach - and will so be missed especially by her beloved Wold Pack whom she coached for thirty-eight years.

"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."

Kay Yow was known for saying:

"If you start to dwell on the wrong things, it'll take you down fast," Yow said in '07. "Every morning, I wake up and the first thing I think of is I'm thankful. I'm thankful for another day."

She was known to live this out in her life and basketball. Another great article here.

Rest In Peace Coach Yow and God Bless!

Warmly,

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2 comments:

Ginger said...

What a wonderful influence she has been to so many young women across the state and nation! She will be missed!

Journey on! by Kelleye said...

It was nice of you to post this- I know she will be dearly missed! Just think of all those that she must have affected along the way to become better and stronger! Not to mention, thankful!