career
Maryland head coach, Brenda frese
"Coach Yow might be gone, but she's touched so many lives and inspired so many people that her legacy will live on forever. She's a giant in our game and for all the right reasons. When I first got to the ACC, it didn't take long to figure out that Coach Yow was always about what was good for the sport and good for others. As a coach, she always got the most out of her team and they were always incredibly well prepared. Obviously, with her sister Debbie as my boss, we shared a connection. A couple weeks ago we got the message that things weren't going well, so our players wrote cards to Coach Yow expressing our support. If there's a team in heaven, I know she's already coaching it. In this time of grief, our hearts and thoughts are with the Yow and N. C. State families."
Experiences
Kay Yow has been instrumental in the world of women's basketball for over 37 years. She has not only affected the lives of the young women she has coached but has inspired fans all over the country. She began her career after she graduated from East Carolina, where she received a teaching job at Allen Jay High School and agreed to coach the women's basketball team. After spending four years at Allen Jay, she coached for one season at Gibsonsonville high school. After five years of coaching high school basketball, she recorded a very respectable record of 92-27. After spending five years at the high school level, she began coaching at the collegiate level where she has become very admired and respected as one of the best coaches in women’s basketball. For four years, she coached at Elon University and ended with a record of 57-19 and a 1974 state title. It was after her years at Elon, that people began noticing her skills as a coach. In 1975, her career with North Carolina State took off. She coached the softball and volleyball teams, was the coordinator of women’s sports, and was developing a women’s basketball program. In her first season as the women’s basketball coach, she took her team to the WNIT and finished the season with a 19-7 overall record. Not only has Yow coached at the collegiate level but has also been among a very successful group of coaches at the Olympic games. She was the head coach for the U.S. Olympic team whom one the gold medal at the Seoul, Korea games in 1988. She was also part of the gold medal winning teams at the 1981, World University Games, the 1986, Good Will Games and the 1986, World Championship Games. Yow was also part of gold medal teams as an assistant coach to some of the nations most successful coaches. Yow has been apart of many teams that have been successful and teams that have not been as successful as others. However, whether or not Coach Yow had a winning season or not she still find ways to positively influence her teams. After 37 years of coaching, she has compiled a stunning overall record of 729-337.
accomplishments
-She was named Coach of the Year eight times
-Won the inaugural Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance in 2007 -Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame
-Elon University Hall of Fame
-North Carolina Softball Hall of Fame -Women's Sports Hall of Fame
-North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame -Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Fame -AIA Hall of Faith
-Raleigh Sports Hall of Fame
-Women's Basketball Hall of Fame -Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
-She became the first full time female women's basketball coach in the state of North Carolina
-She was the first women's basketball coach in ACC history to reach 650 career wins
-Five ACC Championships
-Four ACC tournament titles -Second most victories in ACC history
-Second highest winning percentage in ACC history