ORONO — University of Maine women’s basketball head coach Richard Barron has been known for his commitment to community service and charity. He showed just how far he was willing to go Sunday afternoon by dyeing his hair pink for the Black Bears’ contest against Binghamton University and then shaving it off after the game to raise money for breast cancer research.
The pink hair was courtesy of the third annual “Play4Kay” game that Barron started implementing three years ago when he was named head coach. Barron issued the challenge to the UMaine community to raise $10,000 for the charity and promised that if the money was raised before the game, he would dye his head for the game and shave it all off after.
“In general, our team really looks to give back to the community and our coach does a good job leading us in that,” said sophomore forward Liz Wood. “This is a great example. I do not think there is another coach that would dye his hair pink and then shave it in front of everyone.”
The Play4Kay game is a part of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Sandra Kay Yow coached the women’s basketball team at North Carolina State University for 34 years. Yow was 737-344 during her tenure and guided the 1988 U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning women’s basketball team.
First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, Yow fought off breast cancer twice through the years and started the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to help fund research and allow more cancer patients access to experimental drugs and clinical trials.
Barron also knew Kay Yow through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and his time as an assistant coach for NC State.
Yow started the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in 2007. She passed away in 2009 fighting her third bout with breast cancer.
To date, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has raised over $8 million and $2.5 million from the Play4Kay games. After Sunday’s game, the women’s team alone has raised over $30,000.
“It means a lot to all of us and we think that we are fighting for a cure and we are trying to raise money for a great charity,” Barron said.
There was an emotional moment at halftime when cancer survivors in attendance were invited to the court and greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd. They each held signs with the number of years they had fought cancer and quotes from Kay Yow.
“On a personal level, two of my friends had their wives die of breast cancer,” Barron said. “One of them was a teammate of mine at Kenyon College, so it is a cause that has been very close to me.”
Barron gave a rousing speech after the game, thanking all who donated and were a part of raising money and awareness for the event.
“I want you all to know that every single one of you does things every day that touch people’s lives, and you may not know their ramifications, but they are profound.”
The Black Bears have already won nine more games than last season, which likely factored into the money raised.
“I think that now we are more in the spotlight and we have a few more wins people will definitely be donating more now that they have heard about what we have been doing,” senior guard Ashleigh Roberts said.
The game drew a season-high crowd of 2,087. Reeds Brook Middle School raised nearly $800 for the cause as well and presented the check before play resumed for the second half. The Play4Kay game raised the most money out of the three previous Play4Kay games at UMaine and will go a long way in the fight to find a cure for a disease that has affected more than 2.8 million women in the U.S. alone.