Today in NC State History: Yow inducted into Hall of Fame
What do Kay Yow, Magic Johnson, Larry Brown and the Harlem Globetrotters have in common?
No, it’s not just that they were all involved with basketball. On this day in 2002, Yow and the others were all inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Other inductees that year were Lute Olsen and Drazen Petrovic.
Yow had coached the women’s basketball team at NC State for 26 years when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. She had amassed more than 600 career wins, ranking fifth in women’s basketball history. She was the only woman’s coach in history to win gold medals in the Olympics and World Championships.
Yow was credited with being one of the pioneers in women’s basketball, helping the game grow in popularity. “Yow’s teams mirror her intensity - they play with passion and complete effort at both ends of the court,” reads her bio at the Hall of Fame.
But Yow was quick to give credit to others in her acceptance speech: “All of the honors, awards and milestones that I have been a part of have been made possible because of very special players, staff, administrators, fans and friends.” (Yow’s entire speech can be seen in a video on her web page at the Hall of Fame.)
Yow has also been inducted into the the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. She will be inducted next week into the new N.C. Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the 10 inaugural members.
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