For 21 years, Kay Yow fought a battle that most people could never even fathom.

But after the longtime coach of the North Carolina State women’s basketball team was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, she devoted the rest of her life to promoting awareness of the disease to anyone who would listen. She was known as a winner on the court (737 NCAA wins), but her efforts as a pioneer, educator, and activist off it are what will resonate as her ever-lasting legacy.

“She was obviously a legendary basketball coach,” said Megan Smith, manager of new initiatives for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. “But she was also an incredible person; just so humble. During her battle, it was never about herself, it was about helping others and finding an answer.”

At the start of what was her 34th year at the helm for the Wolfpack in 2008, Yow had to step down four games into the season due to a relapse in her cancer. And despite medicine’s best efforts, she finally lost her heroic battle with the disease on January 24 at the age of 66.

Her devotion to promoting awareness for the disease stirred the formation of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in December 2007 as a partner organization for the Jimmy V Foundation. In the last few years, several teams across the nation have devoted weekends to the cause, including the past two years at Iowa State.

Smith said the event started with just 120 participating schools, but that number quickly swelled to more than 1,300 this year. Although the event was concentrated in college basketball at the start, it has started to expand to other sports and different levels of athletics. AAU, professional, and even high school teams have started to invest time in helping support breast cancer awareness.

“More and more schools are giving to the Kay Yow Fund and that just speaks volumes about Coach Yow as a person,” Smith said. “She wanted the women’s basketball community to make a statement together and do something as a collective whole, and it’s just real exciting to see it pick up that momentum and reach out in different areas.”

A wave of these “Pink Zone” events are currently occurring throughout college basketball this month, but the importance and significance of the events have all been magnified with Yow’s passing just 20 days ago. And with breast cancer continually impacting the lives of so many people around the world, the Pink Zone is poised to only become a bigger tradition over the next several years.

“I think with the passing of coach Yow, that this year is probably a little more special,” said ISU women’s head coach Bill Fennelly. “It is a little bit more intense as far as what people are talking about on a daily basis. The whole Pink Zone concept has probably, besides the women’s Final Four, become the most well-known women’s basketball initiative there is.”

The ISU basketball program has a personal connection to the breast cancer community — Theresa McDermott, the wife of men’s head coach Greg McDermott, is a breast cancer survivor. Theresa, along with Fennelly’s wife Deb, have both played an active part of planning and promoting the event for the past two seasons.

And for the Cyclones, the game on Sunday is not only significant for promoting breast cancer awareness, as Iowa State will also have a tough fight on their hands with No. 13 Texas in a nationally televised game.

“It’s a big event, certainly for us it’s probably the biggest one we’ve ever had,” Fennelly said. “And it’s always going to be extra special for Iowa State because of what Theresa McDermott went through. It’s a great opportunity for our fans, our students, and the people of Iowa State to show the country the commitment we make, not just to our basketball team, but to something that impacts so many people.”