Nan Harvey was the consummate trailblazer for Title IX. She loyally served the University at Buffalo for nearly 30 years, as a student-athlete, a coach and an administrator.
Harvey served as UB’s Senior Woman Administrator from 1996 to 2003 and, under her leadership, UB athletics added three new varsity sports, including softball, and transitioned into the Mid-American Conference.
Harvey was an inspiration for generations of student-athletes, coaches and staff throughout 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.
She served on the NCAA Division I Softball Committee and the Mid-American has named its softball sportsmanship award in her honor.
Harvey was a 1978 graduate of the University at Buffalo, where she was a two-sport athlete, including a captain of the women’s basketball team. She coached UB’s softball team from 1983-85 and was the ECAC Coach of the Year in 1985. She also coached UB’s women’s basketball team from 1985-90 and served as UB’s strength and conditioning coach from 1993-96.
Harvey was inducted as a player into the WNY Softball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Amateur Softball Association National Indicator Fraternity in 1996.
She was inducted, posthumously, into the UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Harvey passed away in 2003, following a long courageous battle with ovarian cancer.
There are numerous reminders of Nan Harvey’s legacy nearly two decades after her death. UB’s softball field is named Nan Harvey Field and the Mid-American Conference’s softball sportsmanship award is named in Harvey’s memory.
