Bill Cowher's wife passes away.

[Rocky]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5406440

Quote:

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died Friday after battling skin cancer. She was 54. Cowher "Kaye was such a loving and compassionate person and she was the foundation of our family," Bill Cowher, now an NFL analyst for CBS, said in a statement. "Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters Meagan, Lauren and Lindsay. They will miss their mother dearly."

RIP.

[LingeringRegime]

Skin Cancer? Wow, that is a shock. 54 is way too young.

I feel for the Cowher family.

[coogrfan]

Horrible news, I send my deepest condolences to the Cowher family.

[55]

Wow, sad to hear.

Maybe he'll return to coaching next season to get his mind off of it.

[Scottdau]

Yeah this is a sad day. I pray for the Cowher family.

[HealyMonster]

Yeah really sad. I didn't really know skin cancer could actually kill you. My Uncle had it and it seemed like no big deal. Man, she was still relatively young.

[mjb2124]

Quote: Originally Posted by RiderGH

I didn't really know skin cancer could actually kill you.

It can. My wife's Uncle has it now and has been told he has 6 months to live. If it goes undetected and spreads, it can get into other tissues/organs. That's what happened to him.

This was on the news around here yesterday. Very sad and way too young.

[mkharsh33]

I hope people now realize that it's very possible that Bill protected his wife and kept this information private, and THAT is why he walked away from the Steelers. The Pittsburgh media was hard on him in his later years, even throwing out reports that he and Kaye were getting a divorce. If this is true, his detractors should stick their head in a toilet and flush numerous times.

As someone who grew up in NE Ohio (just outside Youngstown area) I LOVE the Steelers. Though I like Tomlin, I still feel a deep appreciation for Bill Cowher. I had the opportunity to meet him back in 1998 in Latrobe during camp. He took a few minutes of his time to speak with me in a brief conversation, and also asked if I'd like to have a picture taken. I will always cherish that moment (I was 26 at the time) and I told him how much the Steelers mean to those of us who are fans and how much I like his style of coaching (run the ball!!!) and his passion for the Steelers and the area.

I know we tend to look at people like Bill Cowher as being different than the rest of us, but I have prayed for him and his daughters as 54 is too young for anyone to die, especially a spouse and a mom. I credit Bill for having his priorities straight, in that when he left Pittsburgh, he stayed away from the game..which is what he said he would do. My guess is there will come a day when he will get back into coaching, but for now I hope he and his family find the comfort and strength they need.