Kaye Cowher Dies After Battle With Skin Cancer

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, passed away at the age of 54 Friday after battling skin cancer.

Mrs. Cowher was origanlly from North Carolina. Kaye met Bill while attending North Carolina State in 1976. The couple then moved there after Bill retired from coaching in January of 2007. Kaye Cowher was a basketball player at NC State and the first woman from her state who was awarded with an athletic scholarship. Kaye played three seasons in the Women’s Professional Basketball League but the league folded in 1981. Kaye was one of the league’s most reconized players.

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. It generally occurs in people over the age of 50 and is more deadly the later the disease is caught. There are three main types: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. It is often discovered as a skin bump or growth that is pearly or waxy, white or light pink, flesh-colored or brown. In some cases, the skin is only slightly raised or may even be flat. It is not as likely to spread to other parts of the body. According to the American Cancer Society, 75% of all skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas.

Kaye Cowher, 54, is survived by her husband and three daughters, Megan, Lauren and Lindsay. The family has not released a statement on Kaye’s death, and services will be held Monday in North Carolina.