Categories: Arizona StateColumnsWomen's Basketball

Arizona State celebrates, honors legacy of coaching legend Kay Yow

34 years.

Imagine staying in one place, doing one job, day after day, for 34 years. Not many people can stay committed to one job for five years, let alone 34.

In any profession, there is always the prospect of moving up the food chain, moving on to the next biggest and best thing. Promotions, hirings and firings are all a part of life in the real world.

34 years.

I’ve only been on this Earth for 21 years, let alone 34.

Let’s go back to 1975. I was 17 years away from birth. Gerald Ford was the President of the United States. Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King were dominating tennis. Captain and Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” was the year-end number-one song on the Billboard Top 100.

34 years.

For 34 years, Kay Yow was the head women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State.

Kay Yow’s first season as head coach at NC State was, you guessed it, 1975.

For the next 34 years, Kay Yow led the Wolfpack to 680 wins and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Oh yeah, and, just as a side job, she led the United States National Team to a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics.

34 years.

You would think coaching at one school for 34 years would be the aspect of someone’s life others would remember most.

Fast forward from 1975 to 1987. That’s 12 years. Yow was well on her way to cementing her legacy as a head coach at NC State and was a year away from leading the U.S. to a gold medal.

It was in 1987 that Kay Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it.

Fast forward from 1987 to 2004. That’s 17 years. Yow was now one widely recognized as one of the greatest collegiate women’s basketball coaches in history.

It was in 2004 that Kay Yow had to fight off breast cancer a second time. She beat it.

During both of these instances, Yow never missed a game.

Fast forward from 2004 to 2006. That’s just two years. Yow was still at NC State, still coaching the Wolfpack, still defying the odds.

It was in 2006 that the cancer returned. Yow had to miss some games in order to get treatment.

Yet, she eventually returned, and was at the helm of NC State until early January of 2009.

Kay Yow passed away after a long battle with breast cancer on January 24, 2009 at the age of 66.

34 years.

You can see why Kay Yow’s 34 years at NC State represent a remarkable achievement. But it’s her courageous battle with breast cancer time after time after time that leaves a lasting mark in women’s basketball history.

This is where Play4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund come in.

Now, teams can set aside their rivalries and differences and come together for a common goal. Countless teams across the country now participate in a Play4Kay game each year, where teams wear pink, and money is raised for breast cancer awareness and research to find a cure.

Over $2.8 million has been raised since 2007 towards this cause.

Just last weekend, North Carolina traveled to NC State, an ACC rival and Yow’s former school, to square off on Kay Yow Court in a Play4Kay game.

NC State, a top-15 team this season, lost, but the greater picture was not left unnoticed. For one day, one game, these rivals came together to support a great cause, and thrilled a packed Reynolds Coliseum with a highly competitive game.

That is just one example of numerous Play4Kay games this week across the United States, and the cause remains the same for each.

Friday night in Tempe, No. 20 Arizona State hosts Colorado in the Sun Devils’ annual Play4Kay game.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and the ASU players and coaches sure will be. Just another example of the wide-reaching impact the Play4Kay initiative and Kay Yow Cancer Fund have made on the game of women’s basketball.

34 years.

For most, that’s enough time to try and hopefully leave a lasting legacy.

For Kay Yow, her legacy will last long past the next 34 years.

Learn more about coach Yow’s legacy and foundations, as well as how to donate to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund at play4kay.org

You can reach Alex Gallant on Twitter @AlexJGallant or via email at Alex.Gallant@asu.edu