The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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86 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER W ho, besides beloved NC State women's hall of fame coach Kay Yow, could get North Carolina to wear NC State col- ors at their own home game? Granted, it was the Wolf- pack's original home colors of pink and blue, which haven't been part of the school's brand since 1894. Still, on Feb. 24 of this sea- son, the Tar Heels wore all pink uniforms with light blue num- bers at Carmichael Auditorium, while the Wolfpack wore mostly black with pink trim and shoes. It was all in honor of Yow's legacy, with the Tar Heels host- ing a Play4Kay game to help raise money, awareness and com- fort for cancer survivors through the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. It's been a particularly meaningful year for the research fund that the late coach began before her death 10 years ago (Jan. 24, 2009). The game was less than a week after the Wolfpack hosted fifth-ranked Notre Dame in its 14th annual game recognizing Yow's heroic fight against breast cancer, an ESPN Big Monday game in sold-out Reynolds Coliseum, where the floor is named in the coach's honor. Begun as Hoops4Hope in 2006, Yow envisioned the contest primarily as a way to support survivors, who were spotlighted on the court during halftime and celebrated through a day of festivities. The collection of cancer survivors includes those newly in remission and those who have lived de- cades after their first diagnosis. Now, schools in all 50 states host pink- covered Play4Kay contests, ranging from K-12 schools, Division I, II and III levels, as well as junior colleges and NAIA insti- tutions. They are hosted in all sports, at all times throughout the year. Yow's vision lives brightly on, thanks to the staff of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in- cluding executive director and former Wolf- pack assistant coach Stephanie Glance. The organization receives financial help from corporate partners like Nike, ESPN and Bojangles and others, like the NC State athletics department and, perhaps most sur- prisingly of all, women's college basketball officials from around the country. Only Kay Yow could get referees to give money to her. (Technically, the officials raised some $30,000 to give to the fund in memory of former women's official Rachelle Jones, who died last June after a seven-year battle with breast cancer.) Even NBA star Kevin Durant has pitched in, giving proceeds from his wildly popular pink Aunt Pearl Nike shoes to Yow's fund. For the last seven years, Nike has produced a special pink shoe in honor of Durant's late Aunt Pearl (who died of lung cancer in 2000) that always includes the Kay Yow Cancer Fund's pink Y logo. This year, the fund gave a $1 million research grant to the Duke Cancer Institute in memory of Aunt Pearl. The first Hoops4Hope game was on Feb. 16, 2006, when Yow and her team faced Maryland. Her goal — reached and exceeded — was to raise $25,000 for the Susan B. Komen Cancer Fund. "That's my magic number," Yow said. But it wasn't all about the number. She wanted people to think about prevention. She wanted others who had been diagnosed, those who were still fighting and those who were in remission to receive the same kind of recognition she had gotten through the years. That vision led to the creation of her own fundraising organiza- tion, first under the umbrella of her late friend Jim Valvano's V Foundation and then as an inde- pendent organization. "Raising money is great," Yow said at the introductory press con- ference for the event in Decem- ber 2005, soon after the cancer she beat in 1987 was diagnosed again. "But so is the awareness. With all that awareness that we already have, there are a lot of people out there … who have felt a lump and done nothing about it. "I can see how people, when all around you others are saying it is something you should do, simply don't think it is going to happen to them. Yet it is happen- ing to so many people. "I know the importance of getting regular checks and trying to stay on top of things, because early detection is the only thing that you have." The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has now given out $7.53 million in research grants. And athletes, from kindergarteners to NBA stars, help spread Yow's message a decade after her death. And, most importantly, sur- vivors are recognized for their struggles. "She would be so inspired to see cancer survivors honored," Glance said. "That was her vision. She would love all this, and she would be amazed. But in some ways, it's what she expected." What she might not have anticipated was how big it has gotten and how firmly entrenched Play4Kay has become in the culture of basketball. And she could not have imagined that college teams would introduce survivors along with players dur- ing starting lineups. But she would have loved it. "There's hope for everyone," Yow said after the first Hoops4Hope game, which drew 7,781 spectators and raised more than $27,000 for the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Ten years after Yow's death, those words still ring loudly. ■ ■ PACK PERSPECTIVE The Lasting Legacy Of Kay Yow Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. The Wolfpacker is a publication of: Coman Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Offices are located at 905 West Main St., Ste. 24F, Durham, N.C. 27701. (919) 688-0218. The Wolfpacker (ISSN 0273-8945) is published bimonthly. A subscription is $39.95 for six issues. For advertising or subscription information, call (800) 421-7751 or write The Wolfpacker. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Wolfpacker, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Periodical mail postage paid at Durham, N.C. 27702 and additional offices. First-class postage is $14 extra per year. E-mail: thewolfpacker@comanpub.com • Web site: www.thewolfpacker.com Yow started Hoops4Hope in 2006 as a way to support cancer survivors, and raise money and awareness. Since its inception, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has given out $7.53 million in research grants. PHOTO BY ROB BRADLEY