The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1407083
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 ■ 37 Conference championship and to the Super Bowl. To pay homage to their Wolfpack roots, the Cowhers sent Yow a couple of tickets to attend the game in Arizona. On Feb. 5, 2006, Cowher reached the pin- nacle of his career, taking the Steelers back to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season and beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. Following the next sea- son, Cowher retired from coaching and began a 15- year career as a CBS foot- ball analyst. In 15 seasons with the only NFL franchise he led, Cowher compiled a 149-90-1 overall record, a 12-9 playoff record, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title. The Cowhers stayed close to Yow through her life. Kaye Cowher died of skin cancer in 2010, a year after Yow died following her protracted battle with breast cancer. A Steely Presence Throughout his career, Cowher has had a menacing steel-jawed countenance with a flourishing mustache and, immor- talized on his Hall of Fame bust, a solid goatee. His towering presence, however, is often softened when he breaks into a bright smile. Long a favorite in Pittsburgh, Cowher became even more popular when he began covering football as a studio analyst for CBS. When the NFL began prepara- tions to celebrate its 100th an- niversary in 2020, it designated a committee to put together a Cen- tennial Class. Cowher was one of two coaches (with fellow Super Bowl winner Jimmy Johnson) elected among the 20 members of that class, which was announced in January 2020. Last year's enshrine- ment weekend was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, so they cel- ebrated their induction one day be- fore the eight-member 2021 class. Cowher made special time for each of his families, hosting more than two dozen Wolfpack team- mates at a private event following Thursday's Hall of Fame exhibition game, in which the Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-3. He had other private receptions with his Steelers and CBS families. It was definitely a black-and-gold-colored event, as two former Steelers players, Polamalu and Shell, were also inducted with Cowher in the Centennial Class, and long-time Steelers scout Bill Nunn was inducted as a special contributor in the 2021 class. For the former players, a late-night cel- ebration where they could share personal stories with their teammate kicked off a series of events. On Friday, they attended a reception sponsored by the Steelers, including many of the team's players who had previously been elected to the hall, and the Friday- night event in which each of the 12 living inductees in the Centennial Class received their gold jackets. On Saturday, some two dozen former players traveled about 30 miles away to Ravenna, Ohio, to the farm of former team- mate Jack Kohl. While Cowher was unable to attend, the Holtz- and Rein-era players enjoyed an informal reunion at which Amato encouraged them to continue to make fu- ture plans to gather as often as they could. Among those in attendance were Amato, Wescoe, Quick, Ritcher, Stringer, Kohl, Dave Horning, Buster Ray, Tom Prongay, Randy Hall, John Stanton, Tom Lindner, Mike Kraemer, Russ Matt, Cecil Campbell, Frank Hitt and Brian O'Doherty, aging teammates who still had youth in their stories. "Listen," Amato told them, "you guys are still laughing and having fun with each other. Don't just do this every five years or when something special happens. Do it a lot more often." That night, the 2020 class had its cer- emony, with Cowher giving the night's final — and loudest — speech because of the pre- ponderance of Steelers fans on hand and franchise inductees in the class. Afterwards, the Steelers hosted a large event for all in attendance. "What a weekend for the Pitts- burgh Steelers," Cowher said. "It is unbelievable to me to go in the Hall of Fame with two guys I drafted: Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca. Also with Donnie Shell and the late, great Bill Nunn." Cowher gave a shout-out to Amato, who he tried to hire from Florida State to be an assistant with the Steelers, and acknowledged all of his teammates and friends in at- tendance. Sunday, the celebration ended with the enshrinement of the 2021 class, and Cowher's large tribe of supporters headed back to their re- spective homes. It was, however, the perfect way to celebrate NC State's first member in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "It was a great, great weekend and great time to be together as brothers," Wescoe said. ■ Cowher had 195 tackles as a senior in 1978 and 176 tackles as a junior in 1977, totals that rank first and third, respectively, on the school's single-season list. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS " To my friends, that's what it is all about, surrounding yourself with good people. Thank you for your unconditional friendship. " Cowher Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.