So long, Kay Yow

So long, Kay Yow

by SouthernFriedInfidel | Published on January 30th, 2009, 9:17 am | Sports

They will be burying Kay Yow's body today. For some, the only thing news worthy about her death last week was that she kept on the job while fighting breast cancer for over 20 years. For those who love basketball, the fact that she won over 700 games in her life was a big part of the story.

For a fan of Duke Women's basketball, the story is deeper. We loved Kay. We loved how she loved the school she worked for, how she was a coach with nothing but class. And we REALLY hated having to watch her beat us, particularly a couple of years ago in the ACC semi-finals. THAT hurt. But even so, we never lost our love for coach Yow.

My fondest memory of seeing her was on her last visit to Cameron. She vocally objected to a call that she didn't like, and the students started chanting "SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT..." She merely looked at us, smiled and made that little "wolf" sign with her fingers. We all cracked up laughing.

I sure will miss her. Go State -- so long as you don't "go" against Duke.

She was the only coach that I could have really been remotely close to happy about losing to. She was an amazing person, an invaluable teacher who touched the lives of many, many people, and an inspiration. Even if my words are the same that other people have said over and over again about her, she deserves every one of them. The world won't be the same without her. The story on NPR the other morning about the memorial service at State was very sad and touching...

HOPOMaster wrote:She was the only coach that I could have really been remotely close to happy about losing to. She was an amazing person, an invaluable teacher who touched the lives of many, many people, and an inspiration. Even if my words are the same that other people have said over and over again about her, she deserves every one of them. The world won't be the same without her. The story on NPR the other morning about the memorial service at State was very sad and touching...

Does anyone know if she left behind any family to which she was not biologically related? I assume she had a life partner but, if so. that woman's being kept hidden courtesy of NC's ( and sports' in general) endemic homophobia.

C. Alice wrote: Does anyone know if she left behind any family to which she was not biologically related? I assume she had a life partner but, if so. that woman's being kept hidden courtesy of NC's ( and sports' in general) endemic homophobia.

I know nothing of her personal life. I figured it was a private matter and never looked for such information.

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
C. Alice wrote: Does anyone know if she left behind any family to which she was not biologically related? I assume she had a life partner but, if so. that woman's being kept hidden courtesy of NC's ( and sports' in general) endemic homophobia.

I know nothing of her personal life. I figured it was a private matter and never looked for such information.

well, we always hear about the wives and kids of male coaches, so it seems like a reasonable question. I certainly hope she had someone special in her life.

C. Alice wrote: well, we always hear about the wives and kids of male coaches, so it seems like a reasonable question.

Yes, it's reasonable. I just hadn't thought about it.

I certainly hope she had someone special in her life.

This, I agree with. Only I imagine that had a female partner been visible in the stories, today's funeral would have gotten Fred Phelps' name attached to it, and no one wants that. :evil:

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
C. Alice wrote: well, we always hear about the wives and kids of male coaches, so it seems like a reasonable question.

Yes, it's reasonable. I just hadn't thought about it.
I certainly hope she had someone special in her life.

This, I agree with. Only I imagine that had a female partner been visible in the stories, today's funeral would have gotten Fred Phelps' name attached to it, and no one wants that.

Not true.
I'd love to see the phelps klan be set upon by a Pack of pissed- off sports fans..

C. Alice wrote:
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
C. Alice wrote: well, we always hear about the wives and kids of male coaches, so it seems like a reasonable question.

Yes, it's reasonable. I just hadn't thought about it.
I certainly hope she had someone special in her life.

This, I agree with. Only I imagine that had a female partner been visible in the stories, today's funeral would have gotten Fred Phelps' name attached to it, and no one wants that.

Not true.
I'd love to see the phelps klan be set upon by a Pack of pissed- off sports fans..

I agree that it's her personal business and not mine, nor does it make a statement on her as a person, and I don't know what the answer is. I would personally doubt it, as she was a very religious person, although admittedly, the two are not mutually exclusive by any means. I can't find anything definite about it on the internet aside from her sister (UMD's Athletics Director), but I'm pretty sure she wasn't in a life partnership either way.