Kaye Cowher, ex-Pack basketball star and wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died of skin cancer Friday.
Cowher, formerly known as Kaye Young, and her twin sister Faye were dominate women’s basketball players during the late 1970s and won an ACC championship under former coach Kay Yow. Yow, who also died of cancer in 2009, is the sister of N.C. State athletics director Debbie Yow.
Debbie Yow said Cowher’s memory at N.C. State will never be forgotten.
“Kaye was a person to be admired and respected, whether as an N.C. State student-athlete, mother of three beautiful girls or as a devoted wife,” Yow said. ”Wolfpack Nation lost one its best and she will never be forgotten.”
Bill and Kaye Cowher met in 1976 when they were classmates at the University, and married in 1981. After living in Pittsburgh, they moved back to Raleigh in 2006. The funeral was held Monday.
Chancellor Randy Woodson expressed his condolences and said Cowher left a lasting impression on the University.
“”The Wolfpack family is deeply saddened by the passing of Kaye Cowher. She was a tremendous supporter of N.C. State and remained committed to the University from her beginnings as an extraordinary student-athlete until recently as a member of the Board of Visitors,” Woodson said. “Kaye’s impression on this University and the Raleigh community will have a lasting impact. Our hearts extend to the Cowher family as they endure this difficult loss.”
Bill Cowher, former Wolfpack linebacker, won Super Bowl XL in 2006 and was the featured speaker at the University’s 2008 mid-year commencement.
In a statement released Saturday, Cowher expressed the love and compassion he felt for his wife, and the devotion she always showed for their three daughters.
“Kaye was such a loving and compassionate person and she was the foundation of our family,” Bill Cowher said. “Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters.”
While at N.C. State, Kaye and her twin sister Faye helped lead the team to the first ACC women’s title in 1978.
After graduating from the University, both sisters played one season with the New York Stars and two seasons with the New Jersey Gems, in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, a precursor to the WNBA.
