Kaye Cowher, wife of former Steelers coach, dies at age 54

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Steelers football coach Bill Cowher, died Friday in her native North Carolina after losing a battle with skin cancer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported.

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DAVID J. PHILLIP, AP Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher waves a "Terrible Towel" as his wife, Kaye, looks on after the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in the Super Bowl XL in Detroit. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said his wife Kaye has died. She was 54. Kaye Cowher died of skin cancer Friday, July 23, 2010. in her native North Carolina.

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She was 54.

The Cowhers met when they were classmates at North Carolina State University in 1976.

Bill Cowher was on the football team and the former Kaye Young, and her twin sister, Faye, played basketball.

They married in 1981.

Bill Cowher coached the Steelers for 15 seasons starting in 1992.

Kaye Cowher was a constant presence in the press box on Steelers game days and was considered as resolute and steely as her more famous husband, the Post-Gazette said.

The Cowhers moved to Raleigh, N.C., in 2006, Bill Cowher's final season coaching the Steelers.

Kaye Cowher was the driving force behind her husband's retirement in 2007, the Post-Gazette said. She pressed him to move with her and their youngest daughter to North Carolina, help with the commute to basketball games, reunite the nuclear family before their final daughter left the nest.

At the time of Kay Cowher’s death, she was a member of the North Carolina State Board of Visitors, an honorary body that advises the chancellor and board of trustees, the Post-Gazette said.

The Cowhers have three daughters, Meagan, Lauren, and Lindsay, all of whom have been standout basketball players, the Post-Gazette said.

The family has requested privacy and has released no information on Kaye Cowher's death, the newspaper said. Services will be held in North Carolina on Monday.

Chan Gailey, the  former  head coach at Georgia Tech, was an offensive assistant with the Steelers under Bill Cowher in the 1990s.

Augusta native and Georgia Tech player Ken Whisenhunt was an offensive coordinator for Bill Cohwer for three years, including the 2005 season in which the Steelers won Super Bowl XL.