Vandals Deface Kay Yow Memorial

Kay Yow's recent passing struck an emotional chord, not just in Raleigh and North Carolina, but across the sports world as a whole. The level of respect that Coach Yow received from fans, friends, family and colleagues cannot be understated.

Which makes it that much more difficult to comprehend why vandals would deface a memorial created to honor Coach Yow with a "blue mustache" and the phrase, "Cancer Rules."

A blue mustache and the phrase "cancer rules" were added to the painting, which shows a portrait of Yow against a pink background. The graffiti was removed and the mural restored by early Sunday morning, but the incident did not sit well with students.

"This is still like her memorial," said Caren Lohr, a senior biology and chemistry major from Trinity in Randolph County. She came to paint the tunnel as part of an annual tradition by her co-ed fraternity. "She was definitely not one to be disrespected like that."

No one should be disrespected like that, and frankly, it's beyond sickening to think that anyone would find this remotely humorous. Judging from the color of the mustache and the vandalism occurring the same day as the N.C. State-North Carolina game, the logical thing is to presume that a Carolina fan/student did this; I get the whole rivalry issue, but anyone who could find this not remotely despicable needs to re-evaluate their moral compass.

There is also, of course, the issue of where the mural was painted: the Free Expression Tunnel. The FET has always been open to nearly whatever (hence the name), but was the subject of national scrutiny recently when students wrote inflammatory words about Barack Obama.

And just as Chancellor James Oblinger responded in thoughtful and swift fashion, I expect the same here. Free speech is free speech, but has limits when its purely hateful. Whoever did this will hopefully be identified and punished to whatever extent may be possible.

Recent Deaths in Sports

Kay Yow, Jan. 24: Hall of Fame basketball coach Kay Yow dies at age 66 after a long battle with cancer. Yow won more than 700 games in her illustrious career.

Karl DeBlaker, AP

John Gordy, Jan. 30: The former Detroit Lions offensive lineman was a three-time Pro Bowler and helped form the NFL Players' Association.

Ingemar Johansson, Jan. 30: The Swede stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959. Johansson became only the fifth-ever heavyweight champion born outside the US.

Glenn Davis, Jan. 28: The star hurdler, center, won two of his three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics.

George Eisenhart Jr., Jan. 24: The promoter for the Motor Sports Monster Truck & Thrill Show died after he was crushed beneath a giant truck tire at a show.

TheMonsterBlog.com

Bill Werber, Jan. 22: Werber, the oldest living ex-major league baseball player and a former teammate of Babe Ruth, dies at age 100 at an assisted care facility in North Carolina.

Chuck Burton, AP

Shane Dronett, Jan. 21: Dronett played 10 years in the NFL and started every game on the Atlanta Falcons' 1998 Super Bowl team.

NFL / AP

Dante Lavelli, Jan. 20: "Gluefingers" was a receiver on the Cleveland Browns dynasty of the 1940s and '50s. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Tony Dejak, AP

Preston Gomez, Jan. 13: Gomez was the first manager in the history of the San Diego Padres. He later guided the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.

Rene Herms, Jan. 11, 2009: The five-time German champion runner was found dead in his Berlin apartment at just 26 years old. Police are investigating the cause of death.

Alexander Hassenstein, Bongarts / Getty Images