I played basketball at Wittenberg University, a small school in Ohio. My college coach, Pam Evans-Smith had been diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30′s and fought it hard for many years. Her story was strikingly similar to Coach Yow’s. Pam was undergoing chemo again in 2007, and a friend thought of inviting her to an Athletes in Action event that Coach Yow was attending that May. She thought Coach Yow could give her a ray of hope. The night of the event, Coach Yow took time to visit with Pam and they took a photo together. It meant so much to me that Coach Yow met with my former coach and encouraged her!
That summer, Pam lost her fight with cancer. At her viewing, along with many other memorabilia from her coaching successes, I saw that photo of her with Coach Yow. Her time with Coach Yow had obviously meant a lot to her too.
The thing that stands out most to me about Coach Yow’s life is how she intentionally took time for people–not just family and friends, but even strangers. Coach Yow consistently took the time to make people feel important and special. And as a result, thousands of people like me have special memories of her.
Whether you knew her personally or from a distance, please share your memory, funny story or thoughts on how Coach Yow impacted your life by clicking on “comment” below…
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I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to cross paths with Coach Yow and experience her faith first hand. I can honestly say I have met very few people like her. On a funny note, her humor and ability to connect with all people was awesome. When she had visited Athletes in Action for different speaking engagements or board meetings she always engaged in a coaster flipping contest! (this is where you stack coasters and hang them over the edge of a table and proceed to flip them with the back of your hand and catch them all):) She was pretty good at it and a competitor at anything she did. That’s just one fun memory I have of her.
I first met Coach Yow in 1993 at an FCA camp in Colorado. I was hooked just by her amazing charisma and that great, southern drawl but I became a life long fan when she began speaking to the athletes. I saw someone who was crazy passionate about basketball and crazy passionate about God. At that point in my life, I had never seen anyone speak with such enthusiasm and sincere depth about the two very things that I loved as well.
That was the first glimpse I got at a life where those two worlds could not only coincide but actually have a purpose and a platform together. From that point on, I followed Coach Yow’s career – her successes and her battles. I even got a chance to meet her once again while traveling with Athletes in Action. This time, it felt like I was meeting one of my heroes.
Though I didn’t know Coach Yow personally, I was saddened when I heard about her death. However, when I watched the video she recorded to be played at her funeral, I was inspired once again. She lived her life loving what she did, loving God and loving people – and even through her own death, left a message of hope in these three things. Coach Yow is truly a hero to me.
My first -ever FCA camp as a coach! It was in Terre Haute, IN. Kay Yow was the platform speaker and helped in the basketball clinics. Chapel always went over time! She knew the words of the Bible would be the most impactful to the campers and me!!
She loved the camper/staff challenges that she organized for us. Sometimes the refs cheated for us older staffers but we all had fun. She even put LPGA golfer, Betsy King, in to coach a team at that camp as we were a staffer short for one day. Yes, Betsy’s team beat my team! That got to me, but I handled it. Betsy even gave me a free golf lesson that day! To put it simply, I got blessed by that camp and Coach Yow and served at an FCA camp for the next 15 years. Coach Yow, you got me started right!
Coach Yow surrounded hereself with awesome helpers for the cause of Christ. How God put me there, I am not sure. I strive to carry out Chirst’s mission and honor him and the godly woman of Kay Yow.
I met Kay as a bagger in a grocery storee. Turned out that I lived near by her at the time.
I would run into her on my morning strolls. Every day I would either be left hysterically laughing, deep in thought or both. When my mother died 16 years ago she said “june it will get easier…at some piont it won’t be your every waking thought.” Those simple yet comforting words held true. Ironically during the 20th season of my being a WPW fan she passed January 24th, and on the 25th I myself became suddenly widowed. Now I find myself still comforted by those words and the faith she hepled bring me too, not to mention the numourous Kayisms she passed on to me. It was said at the tribute at Reynolds if you knew her off the court you were blessed. I was and am. So then “THANK YOU COACH” just one more time for the comfort of your words and knowing you would also say I love you friend. I love you too coach. The bagger, June Galbraith.