Why does Caitlin Clark's jersey say Keough? Exploring the meaning and inspiration behind Iowa’s pink jersey

Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes wore a different jersey on Sunday afternoon as their women's basketball team hosted Illinois.

Iowa scored a 110-85 win to improve to 24-4 this season, but during the game, the Hawkeyes wore a pink jersey as a part of the Play 4 Kay initiative, a campaign that aims to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. The jersey is in honor of legendary North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who died in 2009 after a 22-year battle.

Along with wearing a pink uniform, the players could put a different name, as Caitlin Clark's jersey sported "Keough" on the back.

Why did Caitlin Clark's jersey say 'Keough'?

Caitlin Clark's pink Iowa jersey said "Keough," in honor of family friend Dan Keough, who battled colorectal cancer in 2012.

According to his LinkedIn, Keough is the chairman and CEO at Holmes Murphy & Associates. He has been following Clark's basketball career since she was in fourth grade, according to his post on social media.

In February of 2022, Clark also wore Keough on the back of her uniform.

Iowa honors Caitlin Clark

Before Sunday's game against Illinois, Iowa showed off a "22 Clark" decal on the court in the spot where Clark hit a deep 3-pointer on Feb. 15 against Michigan that broke the NCAA women's basketball scoring record.

"I didn't really see it until I came out to warm up," Clark said of the decal, via ESPN. "I knew, because coach [Lisa] Bluder had told me about it. It's cool. Honestly, it seems a bit further back than where I actually shot it from, but that's where they claim I shot it from.

"It's super special; that's something I'll always remember and a shot I'll always remember. I'm thankful for this university and the athletic department that wanted to do that; they didn't have to do that."

Clark is now at 3,617 points and will need 33 to pass Kansas' Lynette Woodard for the women's major college record. Meanwhile, she is 51 points from passing LSU's Pete Maravich, the NCAA Division I men's and women's record holder at 3,667.

This season, Clark is averaging 32.1 points, 8.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game as she's led Iowa to a No. 4 ranking on the AP poll. Despite likely being projected as the top pick in the WNBA draft, Clark could return for one more season at Iowa, and she has yet to announce her decision.