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Nan Harvey

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo softball field, currently referred to as the UB Softball Stadium, will be renamed in a special ceremony in recognition of a monetary gift from Nan Harvey, UB Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. Harvey has made a bequest to the University at Buffalo athletics department for a minimum of $200,000, and in recognition of her future gift, the UB Softball Stadium will be officially renamed Nan Harvey Field in her honor in a ceremony on May 3, 2003. The ceremony will take place after game one of a doubleheader between Buffalo and Akron that is scheduled to begin at 1 pm.

"Personally, I've never been more touched by a gesture in my life," said UB Director of Athletics Bob Arkeilpane. "For someone who has already given so much of her time, energy and enthusiasm to the University at Buffalo, this is the ultimate gift commitment. I don't know of anyone who is more committed to the success of UB athletics than Nan Harvey."

Harvey has been loyally serving the Bulls for almost 30 years - first as a student, then as a coach and now as an administrator. Harvey was appointed to her current position of senior woman administrator in August of 1996 where she is responsible for the day-to-day management of UB's intercollegiate athletic teams and represents the University on all issues regarding women's athletics. Her affiliation with the University at Buffalo, however, dates back to 1974 when she first put on a Blue and White uniform as a member of UB's volleyball team. Harvey played volleyball at UB as a freshman and a sophomore, and she was also a member of the women's basketball team for three seasons, captaining the 1976-77 squad to a 7-9 record.

After graduating cum laude from UB with a degree in physical education in 1978, Harvey returned to her alma mater in 1983 to head up its softball program. She recorded 38 wins over the next three years as head coach, and she 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 UB's women's basketball team for five seasons from 1985-90, including its first two 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 served as an assistant coach for two years before taking over the head coaching reins.

In addition to her duties at UB, Harvey has also been active in the Western New York softball scene both as a player and as an umpire. In 1991, she was inducted into the WNY Softball Hall of Fame as a player and in 1996, she was named the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Metro Buffalo Umpire of the Year. Harvey was also the recipient of one of the most prestigious honors that can be bestowed upon an ASA umpire when she was inducted into the National Indicator Fraternity of the Amateur Softball Hall of Fame in 1996. Her name appears on a plaque in the National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK. Harvey has umpired in various national tournaments, including the 1992 Men's Major Industrial Slow Pitch in Albany, GA, the 1995 Women's Major Slow Pitch in Salem, OR, the 1996 Women's Major Slow Pitch in Bloomington, MN, the 1995 and 1997 NCAA Division III National Championships in Eau Claire, WI and the 1996 NCAA Division III National Championship in Salem, VA. She received her International Softball Federation Umpire Certification for slow pitch competition in 1996, making her eligible to officiate international slow pitch contests as a representative of the United States.

Most recently, Harvey was inducted into the Metro Buffalo ASA Hall of Fame this past March. She will also begin serving a four-year term on the NCAA Division I softball committee in September of 2003.

During her career, Harvey has also served as UB's Strength and Conditioning Coach, as the Aquatics Coordinator for the Department of Recreation and Intramurals, as the Race Director for the Linda Yalem Memorial 5K Run and as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Athletics at UB. She earned her master's degree in exercise science in 1987 and has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Amateur Softball Association.

"The University at Buffalo has enriched my life on a daily basis and has given me opportunities to grow as a person and a professional," said Harvey. "I am forever indebted to the coaches and professors who taught me, the administrators who guided me, and the peers and the students who supported me. To me, these people are the University at Buffalo and my gift represents my eternal gratitude to them and my contribution to ensuring that others who come after me may have the same wonderful experience that I have enjoyed at this outstanding institution. Having the softball field at the University at Buffalo bear my name uniquely combines two very special passions in my life."