University of Minnesota Athletics
Borton and Smith to Play in 4Kay Golf Classic
9/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
University of Minnesota women's basketball coach Pam Borton and associate head coach Barb Smith are in Austin, Texas, to participate in the third annual 4KayTM Golf Classic on Monday, Sept. 13, at Barton Creek Resort and Spa's Crenshaw and Foothills courses.
Named in honor of the late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State women's basketball coach and past president and founding member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the tournament benefits the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund® in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Last year's 4Kay Golf Classic raised more than $175,000 to support scientific research for women's cancers, while the inaugural golf scramble event generated $142,000 in donations.
Borton and Smith are part of a group of approximately 150 women's basketball coaches and athletics administrators from around the nation who have joined together to celebrate the legacy of Yow, who passed away in 2009 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.
Yow, whose collegiate coaching career spanned 38 years, was originally diagnosed with cancer in 1987 and battled the disease three times until her passing on January 24, 2009. Yow is one of just six NCAA Division I coaches to have recorded at least 700 career victories, and she also served as head coach of the United States' gold medal-winning team during the 1988 Olympic Games.
During her distinguished career, Yow was not only known for coaching excellence, but also for her desire to bring coaches together for fellowship and the advancement of women's basketball. The 4Kay Golf Classic helps continue that passion, as one of several major annual fundraising events.
The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund's best known annual event is the WBCA Pink ZoneTM, a nationwide effort that had more than 1,800 participants surpass $1,045,000 in donations and reach more than 922,000 fans across the nation in 2010. A total of 22 schools broke attendance records through their participation.
Overall, the WBCA Pink Zone has raised nearly $3.3 million, has reached almost 2.7 million fans, and has unified over 4,700 participants in its four-year history. Teams and fans at schools, both large and small, donned pink uniforms and t-shirts to support the cause of breast cancer awareness and research and to commemorate Coach Yow's bravery and perseverance.
The V Foundation was established by ESPN in 1993 for North Carolina State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano, who also succumbed to cancer, and has raised more than $90 million for cancer research. The Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was first announced during the 2007 Jimmy V Classic.
Among the most esteemed women's basketball coaches and administrators will be on the golf courses in Austin, including WBCA Chief Executive Officer Beth Bass, Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Executive Director and Hall of Fame coach Marsha Sharp, Fund President and former Yow coaching associate Stephanie Glance, as well as WBCA Executive Committee president Geno Auriemma (Connecticut) and Pat Summitt (Tennessee). Minnesota's Barb Smith is the Assistant Coaches representative on the 2010-11 WBCA Board of Directors.
--Michael Molde, Athletic Communications Assistant
