RALEIGH, N.C. — Her resume had almost everything a coach could want, from conference titles and NCAA Tournament trips to an Olympic gold medal and more than 700 career victories.

Yet Kay Yow was about so much more than basketball.

The North Carolina State coach was a symbol of hope and courage even as she faced the cancer that ultimately took her life yesterday morning after a two-decade fight. She inspired people who never met her or cared about the sport, even the fans at rival schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In the end, all that coaching success almost became an afterthought.

"Kay showed us how to handle one of the most difficult things — cancer — in the most dignified and courageous manner," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said in a statement. "She taught us what it is to have real passion for the sport, any sport. She continued to fight and went about doing what she loved best: coaching.

"She used every ounce of energy she had left to give to those young ladies. She was and will always be an inspiration to so many people."

Yow, first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, died at WakeMed Cary Hospital after being admitted last week, university spokeswoman Annabelle Myers said. Yow was 66.

A public viewing is scheduled for Friday morning in Cary, followed by the funeral that afternoon. Yow will be buried the next day in her hometown of Gibsonville, located about 70 miles west of Raleigh.

"Everyone who had the privilege of knowing Kay Yow has a heavy heart today," N.C. State athletic director Lee Fowler said in a statement.

By yesterday evening, a makeshift memorial had been set up near the campus' bell tower with about 20 bouquets of flowers and a poster for mourning fans to leave messages. In addition, someone left a framed photo of Yow with a poem, "When Life Kicks You, Let It Kick You Forward" — a reference to one of Yow's mottos.

Yow was 737-344 in 38 seasons as coach — 34 with the Wolfpack. She coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988, won four ACC tournament championships, earned 20 NCAA tournament bids and reached the Final Four in 1998.

She also was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002, while the school dedicated "Kay Yow Court" in Reynolds Coliseum in 2007.

There were moments of silence to honor Yow before several basketball games yesterday. Duke — one of N.C. State's closest ACC rivals — also honored Yow before the men's game against Maryland.

"God bless Kay," Blue Devils men's coach Mike Krzyzewski said to end his postgame news conference. "A fighter until the end."