Pittsburgh mourns the loss of their former head coach, William Laird Cowher.

At the age of 54, Kaye Cowher, the spouse of former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, passed away on Friday night.

As with most things personal, the Cowhers decided to keep Mrs. Cowher’s battle with skin cancer a private one.

At North Carolina State University, where Bill and Kaye were both athletes, they first connected and began a relationship that would endure for more than 20 years. While Kaye and her twin sister Faye were standout basketball players for the Wolfpack, Bill was a linebacker on the football squad.

Mr. and Mrs. Cowher had three daughters throughout their marriage, all of whom are accomplished athletes.

The two eldest daughters, Meagan and Lauren, continued in their mother’s footsteps by playing NCAA basketball together at Princeton, and Kaye took great pleasure in coaching them.

During her tenure in Pittsburgh, Mrs. Cowher was also actively involved in charities that support abused children.

After leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL, the pinnacle of his 15-year tenure as head coach, Coach Cowher announced his retirement barely a year later.

Cowher said that his primary motivation for quitting the NFL coaching ranks was to be with his family, even if there were rumors that he was going because of financial concerns over an extension of his contract.

The degree of anonymity maintained by the Cowhers makes it difficult to determine whether Mrs. Cowher’s health issues influenced the choice. Nevertheless, the family had already purchased a house in North Carolina, where Kaye was born, before Coach Cowher left Pittsburgh.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Cowher family has requested privacy during their time of grief and will not be disclosing any more details regarding Mrs. Cowher’s condition or demise.

In North Carolina, funeral ceremonies are scheduled for Monday.