Beloved Fremd Coach Dies After Brain Cancer Battle

PALATINE, IL — The William Fremd High School community is mourning girls basketball coach Dave Yates, who died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer.

“For the last 25 years, Coach Yates' passion, dedication, and commitment inspired colleagues, competitors, and student-athletes alike,” the Fremd Athletic Department said in a social media post, describing Yates as “a coaching legend whose influence transcended sport.”

“His coaching wasn't just about winning; it was about instilling values of teamwork, integrity, and above all else, perseverance. Coach Yates’ legacy will endure through the countless lives he’s impacted and the lessons he's imparted.”

Yates died less than a week after the department announced on social media that he had won the Fremd Coach of the Year award and just months after he led the Vikings to a third-place Class 4A state championship finish with a 30-7 season.

The Vikings won the 2020 state final and made it to the championship five times total, according to the Illinois High School Association.

Yates was diagnosed in spring 2023 with glioblastoma multiforme and underwent two brain surgeries while fighting the aggressive and incurable cancer, according to the association, which noted he did not miss a single practice or game during the most recent season. He also continued to chair the mathematics department at Fremd.

Yates won the Section 4 2023-24 National Federation of State High School Associations Spirit of Sport Award, according to the IHSA, and recently was enshrined in the 2024 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Originally from Elgin, Yates was a St. Edward High School graduate and former captain of the Elmhurst College basketball team, which made it to the Division III NCAA Tournament when he was a senior, the Daily Herald reported.

He was 54 at the time of his death and is survived by his wife, Kathy, and four children, according to the Daily Herald.