Nan Harvey was a Title IX Trailblazer
3/8/2021 11:34:00 AM | General, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
A consummate trailblazer for Title IX, Nan Harvey was an important figure in University at Buffalo Athletics history whose efforts helped mold the department into what it is today. She loyally served UB for nearly 30 years, as a student-athlete, a coach and an administrator.
Harvey first stepped on campus in 1974 when she enrolled at the university and joined the volleyball team. A Cheektowaga native, Harvey played volleyball as a freshman and a sophomore, and also was a member of the women's basketball team for three seasons including serving as team captain during the 1976-77 campaign.
After graduating cum laude from UB in 1978 with a degree in physical education, Harvey returned to her alma mater in 1983 to head its softball program. Although softball was her first love, she had been unable to participate in the sport as an undergraduate because the university at that time didn't offer it at the varsity level.
She recorded 38 wins over the next three years as head coach, and earned 1985 SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding UB to its best record ever (19-9), a national ranking of 12th in the country and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.
Harvey also coached the women's basketball team from 1985-90, including its first two seasons competing at the Division II level. She guided UB to winning records and postseason berths in each of those two seasons, and she led her team to a first-place finish in the SUNYAC West Division in 1986-87. Harvey had served as an assistant coach for two years before taking over the head coaching reins.
Following a three-year stint as UB's strength and conditioning coach, Harvey was promoted to an administrative role. She served as the school's Senior Woman Administrator from 1996 to 2003 and played a key role in UB's transition to the Mid-American Conference.
Harvey was an inspiration for generations of student-athletes, coaches and staff through her steadfast work for gender equity. In 2000, Harvey spearheaded an effort that awarded UB Athletics $1.6 million from the State of New York to support gender-equity efforts and enhance UB's women's athletic program.
Harvey's impact would be felt long after she lost her courageous battle with ovarian cancer in 2003. She was a legacy donor to the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) and, through a state gift, provided funds for the Nan Harvey Softball Field at UB.
Harvey was inducted as a player in the WNY Softball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Amateur Softball Association National Indicator Fraternity in 1996. She was inducted, posthumously, into the Dr. and Mrs. Edmond J. Gicewicz Family UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2010, the Mid-American Conference established the Nan Harvey Sportsmanship Award given annually to a MAC player, coach or staff member who demonstrates the type of commitment, leadership, toughness and tenacious attitude that Harvey epitomized.
UB athletics still champions the values and beliefs that Harvey so adamantly fought for, continuing a commitment to the advancement of diversity and inclusion. Recognized as one of the nation's leading programs in that area, Buffalo has earned the Mid-American Conference's Diversity and Inclusion Institutional Award each of the last three years.
Though no longer with us, we're sure Nan is still proud to be a Bull.
Harvey first stepped on campus in 1974 when she enrolled at the university and joined the volleyball team. A Cheektowaga native, Harvey played volleyball as a freshman and a sophomore, and also was a member of the women's basketball team for three seasons including serving as team captain during the 1976-77 campaign.
After graduating cum laude from UB in 1978 with a degree in physical education, Harvey returned to her alma mater in 1983 to head its softball program. Although softball was her first love, she had been unable to participate in the sport as an undergraduate because the university at that time didn't offer it at the varsity level.
She recorded 38 wins over the next three years as head coach, and earned 1985 SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding UB to its best record ever (19-9), a national ranking of 12th in the country and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.
Harvey also coached the women's basketball team from 1985-90, including its first two seasons competing at the Division II level. She guided UB to winning records and postseason berths in each of those two seasons, and she led her team to a first-place finish in the SUNYAC West Division in 1986-87. Harvey had served as an assistant coach for two years before taking over the head coaching reins.
Following a three-year stint as UB's strength and conditioning coach, Harvey was promoted to an administrative role. She served as the school's Senior Woman Administrator from 1996 to 2003 and played a key role in UB's transition to the Mid-American Conference.
Harvey was an inspiration for generations of student-athletes, coaches and staff through her steadfast work for gender equity. In 2000, Harvey spearheaded an effort that awarded UB Athletics $1.6 million from the State of New York to support gender-equity efforts and enhance UB's women's athletic program.
Harvey's impact would be felt long after she lost her courageous battle with ovarian cancer in 2003. She was a legacy donor to the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) and, through a state gift, provided funds for the Nan Harvey Softball Field at UB.
Harvey was inducted as a player in the WNY Softball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Amateur Softball Association National Indicator Fraternity in 1996. She was inducted, posthumously, into the Dr. and Mrs. Edmond J. Gicewicz Family UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2010, the Mid-American Conference established the Nan Harvey Sportsmanship Award given annually to a MAC player, coach or staff member who demonstrates the type of commitment, leadership, toughness and tenacious attitude that Harvey epitomized.
UB athletics still champions the values and beliefs that Harvey so adamantly fought for, continuing a commitment to the advancement of diversity and inclusion. Recognized as one of the nation's leading programs in that area, Buffalo has earned the Mid-American Conference's Diversity and Inclusion Institutional Award each of the last three years.
Though no longer with us, we're sure Nan is still proud to be a Bull.
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