Dec. 9, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Oklahoma City University soccer coach Brian Harvey has been selected to the Oklahoma Soccer Association Hall of Fame class of 2010.

Harvey has captured the most men’s and women’s victories of any soccer coach in NAIA history. He has coached the soccer programs at OCU since their inception. The men began in 1986, while the women started in 1994. The induction ceremony is set for Jan. 22, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel, 1 N. Broadway Avenue in Oklahoma City. For information, call Dale Watts at (800) 347-3590.

Harvey was also recently inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame and the OCU Athletic Hall of Fame. Harvey is the first active coach at OCU to become an OCU hall of famer.

Harvey will be recognized for his NAIA Hall of Fame induction at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention Jan. 15 in Philadelphia.

“It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers,” Harvey said. “It’s a great honor and I am very humbled by it because there are so many great people out there that do a great job day in and day out. For me to be honored is truly quite wonderful.”

Harvey has an overall record of 602-222-41 in 23 seasons with OCU. He has compiled a 347-147-24 record with the men, and a 255-75-17 record in 15 seasons with the women.

This fall, Harvey led the Stars to a 15-4-2 record and No. 25 national ranking in men’s play and an 11-7-1 showing on the women’s side. Both OCU teams made the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship contest.

Under Harvey’s leadership, OCU has reached the 2001 NAIA women’s national championship game, the 1999 and 2000 NAIA women’s semifinals and the 1991 NAIA men’s championships and the 2008 NAIA men’s semifinals under Harvey’s direction. His 1999 women’s team went 24-2, and the men recorded a 23-2-1 season in 2001. OCU has won the SAC nine times in men’s play and eight times in women’s play.

Harvey has coached 25 NAIA men’s all-Americans, 19 NAIA men’s scholar-athlete award winners, 19 women’s all-Americans and 27 NAIA women’s scholar-athletes. Among those all-Americans, Harvey pupils Richard Benigno, Dino Deleveski, Tim Treviño and Andy Taylor each turned professional.

Harvey was named 1999 NAIA Region VI men’s and women’s coach of the year and 1991 Arkansas-Oklahoma coach of the year. He has been conference coach of the year 12 times, including the men’s and women’s SAC coach of the year in 2008.

Prior to OCU, Harvey was head coach of the Oklahoma City Slickers, an American Professional Soccer League team that he took to the 1982 Soccer Bowl played before 42,000 at the Silverdome in Detroit. He led the Oklahoma City Spirit to the 1990 Lone Star Soccer Alliance championship. He also coached Oklahoma City and Tulsa in the United Soccer League and the Oklahoma City teams of the U.S. Interregional Soccer League.

Harvey has been tireless in developing youth soccer players, coaching in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Olympic development program for 10 years as well as coaching club programs and conducting his American Youth Soccer Camps. He has been named Region III boys competitive coach of the year in 2007 and Oklahoma girls competitive coach in 2002. Harvey guided the Dallas Club America to the 1979 Notis Cup title. Many other players have been influenced through former OCU players who have become coaches themselves, including Oklahoma coach Nicole Nelson.

A native of Liverpool, England, Harvey graduated from St. Bonaven­ture University in 1966 with a degree in physical education. He played soccer professionally in Australia, China, England and the United States. Harvey first came to the United States to play for the Dallas Tornadoes in the North American Soccer League. He played against the legendary Pele at Hong Kong in 1972.

Harvey has a daughter, Nicole, who played for OCU in 2001-04 and served as Harvey’s student assistant in 2005.