Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sad news out of North Carolina, as word spreads that Kaye Cowher, the 54-year-old wife of CBS analyst, and former Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher, has passed away after a bout with skin cancer.

The couple have been married since 1981, five years after meeting on the campus of North Carolina State University.  Before she became Mrs. Cowher, Kaye Young was quite the basketball player, receiving a scholarship from NC State, then eventually suiting up in the now defunct Women’s Professional Basketball League.

The Cowhers have three daughters, Meagan, Lauren and Lindsay, all of whom have followed in their mother’s footsteps by starring on the hardcourt.  The elder two sisters, Meagan and Lauren, have plied their skills for the Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League, while Lindsay completed her freshman season at Wofford College.  Bill and Kaye were regular spectators at their older daughter’s games.

It goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers go out to the Cowher family at this most difficult time in their lives.

[Post-Gazette]