The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with a tragic loss after the unexpected death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake. He spent nine years with the team, starting 37 games and forcing three fumbles. Our condolences go out to his wife, Dana, and their son, Dok." Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expressed his admiration for Harris saying, in part, "There's so much to be learned from him in terms of . I'm going toalways do everything for him, Cam says. Friends and teammates from his college days at Western Kentucky University. A private funeral service will be held Monday in North Carolina. Many of them are as young as 7. "Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters Meagan, Lauren and Lindsay. I grew up with him so it hurts different. I hope you and Tiffany have an outstanding Super Bowl experience. Besides being the wife of Pittsburg Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Kiya Winston Tomlin is becoming somewhat of a celebrity in her own right. They married in 1996, one year after Mike had graduated. "Kaye was the rock that we could all lean on in the tough times," Cowher added. Additionally, if you'd like to donate above and beyond the ad-free option, you can donate via PayPal as well. But they are boys, still. The sisters filmed a Wrigley Doublemint gum commercial during their WPBL careers. His wife was driving. Steelers Draft Talk: Breaking Down Omar Khans NFL Combine Comments, Steelers Daily Links: Free Agent DT Off the Market; Bengals Shoot Down Higgins Rumors, Daily Links: Predicting Steelers Cap Cuts, Joe Haden Joins Combine Coverage, Daily Links: Steelers Host Girls Flag Football Jamboree; Musical Tribute to Franco Harris, Steelers Daily Links: Pickens Top Rookie WR; FA Landing Spots, Steelers Daily Links: 2023 Improvements, Titans Could Cut Bud Dupree, Senior Bowl Takeaways: Steelers Find Plenty of Good Lineman in Draft (+), Have the Ravens Figured Out the Steelers Run Defense? We will continue to support Jerry through this difficult time. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Hall of Fame coach transformed Pittsburgh from a laughingstock into a dynasty. Some black, yellow and gold balloons, limp and lifeless after being caught in the limbs, still hang from barren trees at the MLK Center. He recorded seven receiving yards, one reception in two games his freshman year. He was the kind of neighborhood hero that you will find in every city in America, if you are willing to see. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. He led the Pittsburgh Steelers to Super Bowl XLIII, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. Hall of Fame Coach Bill Cowher Found Love Again After His Wife's Tragic Death. Some who I met when they were that young now tower over me. The Allegheny County Medical . They married in 1981, after the former Kaye Young played alongside her twin sister, Faye, in college and during a three-season Women's Professional Basketball League career. "Kaye was such a loving and compassionate person and she was the foundation of our family," Bill Cowher, now an NFL analyst with CBS, said in a statement Saturday. I need to hear his steady voice again, even as the exercise haunts me. "And it will be named in his honor.". The 49 years old rose to fame after marrying Super Bowl XL Champion Bill in 2014. He plans on taking Coach Nell, too. Our thoughts are prayers are with Jerry and their entire families, including his three children Joseph, Emma, and Dominic.. I hope for these boys in the program, who already dont trust the justice system, I just feel that they need this. Market data provided by Factset. Later on, I'll drive the same route myself, looking for answers I won't find. I cannot ask Coach Nell the question I still havent answered. Before joining the Steelers in 2007, Mike Tomlin was on the coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and also worked for college football teams at Virginia Military Institute, the University of Memphis, Arkansas State, and the University of Cincinnati. They are shrieking, running and laughing. She will be missed by the many people whose lives she touched. Mike Tomlin was the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year. We can run all day, he would warn. Just thinking of you today and feeling so grateful for all the blessings coming your way. Kaye Cowher played one season for the New York Stars and two with the New Jersey Gems in the Women's Professional Basketball League until that league folded in 1981. Raiders: Cam Heyward Heating Up; Kazee, Spillane Get Bigger Roles (+), Analysis: One Big Thing Thats Missing from Steelers Run Defense, Steelers Grades vs. Copyright 2021 Pittsburgh Sports Now / Steelers Now. Cowher died Friday in her native North Carolina, where the family relocated at her urging during Cowher's final year as coach in 2006, one season after the Steelers won the Super Bowl. They released balloons in his honor. Professionally, she is a designer. Tony Dungy is a former professional football player and retired NFL coach. Head coach DeMeco Ryans has reached the top of the coaching ladder in the place where he began his playing career and now he says he has "hit the ground running," to transform the Texans into a legitimate threat in the AFC South. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (PA/IL) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN only) or 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA only) or 1-800-522-4700 (CO Only) or TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789. The Steelers released a statement on Friday announcing her passing. But Coach Nell never wanted to say too much about that. Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2022. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. By ABC News. But to hundreds of Indianapolis families, he was known as Coach Nell. 1, 2023 at 12:25 PM PST | Updated: 10 minutes ago. I have so many questions. "This could be you, this could be your kid, this could be any of us. This Indianapolis giant will live on. "Donnell lived a life of service," his uncle, David Hamilton, would say. Dwayne Haskins, a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died early Saturday morning in Florida. Legal Statement. Honestly, I hope it is. Then I think about Coach Nell. Harris' heads-up thinking authored "The Immaculate Reception," considered the most iconic play in NFL history. Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky is away from the team after the death of his wife. Former Super Bowl-winning wide receiver and Heritage High School assistant athletic director Charles Johnson has died at the age of 50, former players confirmed to CBS 17. . This is going to be great for the community. "To move up," Ballard said, "there's got to be a guy worthy of it.". "We were saddened to learn of the loss of Kaye Cowher," Steelers president Arthur J. Rooney II said in a statement. I spot team mom Takkara Delaney and her son, Tyree, being dropped off in front of the church. I'll talkto Greenwood's police chief and he, too, won't release any investigative material because he doesn't want to jeopardize the case. Then it sinks in. ", Ill talk with Sgt. Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died Friday after battling skin cancer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Up the hill and back again. Omar Epps and Mike Tomlin are the same person. Later, hundreds gathered at the Colts Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center to honor Coach Nell. I'm going tohave his mentality. I do, too. I ask her if she has cried. Over and over. Market data provided by Factset. Mike Tomlins brother Ed is the executive vice president of marketing and business development at Ultimaxx Health and a marketing and business development consultant for the Mpire Technical Group; before that, he was a sales executive at Wyndham BVacation Ownership, in 2007 was the director of sports marketing for Under Armour. He was "that dog." Legal Statement. Rayme Olsavsky, the wife of Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebackers coach and former player Jerry Olsavsky, has died, according to a team issued statement shared by Steelers Director of Communications Burt Lauten on his verified Twitter account Friday (October 15) morning. I ask if he's concerned about the spike. I grew up around him since I was a little boy. He was 43. Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher had a successful 15-season stint with the NFL franchise. Draft Talk: Will Jalen Carter Really Fall to Steelers after Legal Issues? They have three children, sons Michael Dean, Mason, and daughter Harlyn Quinn. "Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Easier to say its a problem with Black fathers. The Youngstown native joined the Steelers as a defensive assistant in January 2010, replacing Lou Spanos, before being promoted to his current role of inside linebackers coach in February 2015. Yes, were most definitely going to keep it going thats what coach would want us to do, Chris Meriweather, a Steelers coach, tells me. None of them want to lead; none of them think they can do it justice at least not yet. She is on call for anything. They would start at age 7, play until high school. Just like his wife Veronica, Cowher was once married to a basketball player, Kaye Cowher who played for the New York stars in the professional women's basketball league called Women's Pro Basketball League. How will they live without this man, their teacher, mentor, confidant, big brother, uncle, father and friend? LIVE Transfer Talk: Newcastle's Guimaraes on Real Madrid radar, Disputed loan at center of Commanders probe, Everything you need to know about F1's 2023 season, F1 season preview: Who's hot and who's not. He agreed to a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers in April 2021. He was fine another $100,000 for not wearing a face mask on November 6, 2020. The investigation leads police to believe the shooting began as a road rage encounter that led to gunfire. Coach Nell never made it to the NFL, but decades later, the NFL finally noticed him. I listen as I walk my own neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/qcQzgTYgmc, Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) October 15, 2021. Cameron Harden, 14, a self-described night owl, tells me it was around 1 a.m. on Jan. 12 when he received a call from a teammate informing him Coach Nell was dead. I walk through the doors of the MLK Center and look around in delight. Invincible. There are no shattered windows in the van. I know this family well. Kaye Cowher, the wife of ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher and a former basketball player at North Carolina State and in the now-defunct Women's Professional Basketball League, has died of skin cancer . The warm embraces are familiar; weve shared so many. NFL coach Brian Flores can press discrimination claims against the league and three teams after a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the option of arbitration, presumably before Commissioner Roger Goodell, and offered some stinging observations about the status of racial bias in the sport. Wayne L. Moore takes the pulpit and offers news that elicits the most applause. Chuck Noll, who won four Super Bowls in the '70s coaching the Steelers, died Friday at the age of 82. In those 23 seasons, he compiled a 209-156-1 record. It's unclear if Jerry Olsavsky will be on the sidelines for that game. She and Jerry have three children. The federal holiday that recognizes Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday is typically a day of service and giving at the center. Indy Steelers coach Richard Donnell Hamilton taught his players never to give up. After our report about the Indy Steelers in 2021, the Indianapolis Colts organization and players became boosters. On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers had heartbreaking news to announce involving inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky. A lot of those are still active, too., Hes been a police officer in Indiana for 20 years. Kaye Cowher and her sister led NC State to the Atlantic Coast Conference's first women's basketball title in 1978. Olsavsky spent several years coaching various teams before joining Youngstown State University as a linebackers coach in 2003 and held the position through the 2009 season. Martins words trail off. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter . Coach Nell would stalk the field yelling commands. Then I learn something else about the investigation of Coach Nells death. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Some sad news for the Pittsburgh Steelers family today. Colts general manager Chris Ballard said he's heard the noise that his team is predestined to trade up to the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and select a quarterback. His wife, Rayme . On Feb. 13, 2022, Super Bowl Sunday, I sent him a message at 9:26 a.m. Hey Coach! Police say a single shot was fired. The family had lived since in Raleigh. Suzette Hackney is a national columnist. And, of course, the Fourth & Goal project. Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky is away from the team after the death of his wife. This all-state and all-conference linebacker will not be forgotten. Someone in the crowd yells: One more time for coach! The players know exactly what to do. And Tarkington Park was tired. May she rest in peace. And now Im walking the old dirt and grass without him, and thinking about the new field he will never see. The Pittsburgh Steelers introduced Mike Tomlin as their new head coach on January 27, 2007. Greenwood and its 60,000 people sit in Johnson County, just outside the edge of Indianapolis. I am one of the first people to arrive. Words cannot express our sadness for Jerry and the loss of his wife. On behalf of the entire Steeler family, we extend our condolences to Bill, his daughters and their family.". Youve seen one, on a kids practice field or in a movie: Its that padded metal device built for players to ram into, to practice tackling. But the easy argument is a lie. Coach Reggie Martinis introspective when I ask how they will keep the Steelers afloat without their coach. Rayme Olavsky was 45 years old. Her grandfather played piano for many singers, including Tony Bennett and Billie Holiday. Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose shoestring catch known as the "Immaculate Reception" in 1972 remains one of the most memorable . CNN . "You don't have to do anything wrong or be engaged in any type of wrongdoing for some idiot to pull out a gun and shoot you in the back of the head. A $3 million Lilly Endowment grant would pay for it all. Even after Im gone from this state, there will be no movement on the case. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed Saturday when he was hit by a dump truck while he was walking on a South Florida highway. He returned to coaching wide receivers at Arkansas State in 1997 and defensive back coach in 1998. Once I get the first message that he is gone once I start to believe it, start booking flights, start packing I open up those audio files and press play. During a practice in March 2019, there had been a shooting at Tarkington Park. Kaye Cowher played a key role in her husband's decision to retire from coaching in 2007 and move full-time to Raleigh, so the family could be together as their daughters completed their high school and college basketball careers. Article. Ed Tomlin also worked for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Forest Pharmaceuticals, UNIFirst Corporation, and the Business Arena Management Group. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. He spent several seasons with the franchise before eventually becoming an assistant coach for Youngstown State in 2003. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. His children. He spent the 1998 season as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. Im going toalways have his mentality everywhere I go. Coaching stats at PFR. He had gone to college on scholarship, but he got into trouble. Jerry Olsavsky actually began his career with the Steelers as a player in 1989. Reach her on Twitter: Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Jerry Olsavsky played linebacker for the Steelers from 1989-97 before spending the 1997 offseason with the Cincinatti Bengals and the 1998 season with the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in nine games before retiring. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs . The white Dodge Ram 3500 ProMaster is only dirty, streaked from travel. Man United's FA Cup win proves Garnacho is a key player and Maguire must leave. The man was identified as Richard Donnell Hamilton, 43, according to the Johnson County Coroner's Office. We can definitely still be a presence. Its dated Jan. 9. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers . . According to Florida Highway Patrol, Haskins was "walking on a limited access facility . After all, Coach Nell was a hustler himself. I walked the canal, attended the Indy 500 and ate and drank on Mass Ave. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. I grew up around him since I was a little boy. Sometimes they would drive to the suburbs, or even make quick runs out of state. Coach Nell is gone. coach to win . The Pittsburgh Steelers have heavy hearts with the unfortunate passing of Rayme Olsavsky, the team said in a statement. Pin. He was my brother so Im here to lay him to rest.. Im OK. Were OK, Delaney says, seemingly trying to convince herself. Luthe said Coach Nell and his wife, Tiffany, had started a logistics business on the side. And it had finally paid off. Can the Lions fix their defense? Kiya began sewing when she was 10, and rapidly progressed from pillows to ducks to dresses. 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Lead ; none of them think they can do it justice at least not yet Im going toalways do for!