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鈥淚 smiled when he retired and I said, 鈥楳an, I鈥檒l never catch you. Rest assured, that is not my plan in life,鈥欌�� Harvey said. 鈥淭hirty eight years later, here I am.鈥�

Harvey, who will retire after this season, had already been at Arizona for 15 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach when Murray left. After receiving Murray鈥檚 recommendation, Harvey took over the head coaching role in 2002-03 and now he says he will remain around the program in a role that is yet to be determined.

Harvey鈥檚 current contract is scheduled to run out on June 30, but Harvey said he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 leave the door open鈥� for a discussion to renew it. UA said it would be 鈥渉onoring him with the title of Coach Emeritus,鈥� but it is not clear if Harvey will have an active role nor if his assistants for individual disciplines would be retained.

鈥淚t definitely was an honor to hear 鈥榃e want you to be a part of the program.鈥� Now, what that capacity means right now, we don鈥檛 know,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淥ne of the questions that I did have was if this would involve any form of coaching in any capacity. That鈥檚 something that is definitely on the table, but obviously it鈥檚 going to have to be for a lack of a better term, tabled, until we find out who we鈥檙e gonna end up hiring as a new director.鈥�

Associate head coach Francesca Green is expected to be considered for the head coaching role, while Harvey said he would at least remain active coaching with the 大象APPElite Athletic Club that he and his wife, Janet, run for youth ages 8-18.

鈥淚 will 1,000% be involved in coaching at one level or another,鈥� Harvey said.

In an interview with the Star, Harvey discussed his transition and how the changing college sports landscape is affecting track and field, while reflecting on a career in which he has coached 101 outdoor all-Americans, 14 Olympians and even an NFL all-pro in Michael Bates.

A 1983 graduate of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, where he earned three Division II all-America honors as a track athlete, Harvey said he still has a lot of passion and energy for coaching.

鈥淚t鈥檚 what I like to call my 鈥榳hy鈥� 鈥� my why is coaching young people, and all the other things that come along with it. I don鈥檛 want people to feel like I鈥檓 a coward or I don鈥檛 want to go through the fight, but it鈥檚 a different landscape in college athletics right now.

鈥淚 always say to my athletes, 鈥楬ey, you know what? Suck it up, adjust. Let鈥檚 get this thing done.鈥� And I find myself, saying 鈥極K, do I want to suck it up and continue to fight that external battle?鈥欌��

Harvey said the battle is not within UA, saying he has been heartened in how Arizona AD Desire茅 Reed-Francois, and senior associate ADs Will Wheeler and Rachel Blunt, have supported track and field.

鈥淚 want to make sure I鈥檓 clearly on the record here that what they鈥檙e doing for our sport of track and field and cross country is amazing, because a lot of schools are going a different direction with that. Proof positive of that is if you read through the lines of me coming in and saying OK, it鈥檚 time for me to retire, move on. That is a prime opportunity (for UA) to say, 鈥榃ell, guess what we鈥檙e going to do? We鈥檙e not going to do a national search for a coach. We鈥檙e moving forward and you know what? We may have to reduce this program down to nothing, like some programs have done.鈥� That alone just tells me the love and respect that they have for what we do here.鈥�

Harvey said UA has been planning to allot 7-10% of its revenue sharing to track and field, or up to about $2 million, since the maximum revenue sharing with all sports will be $20.5 million if the House settlement is finalized.

That鈥檚 鈥渟omething to work with,鈥� Harvey said, but generating enough NIL via commercial endorsements or booster-funded collectives could still be a challenge, especially for a program he says aims to recruit athletes who are among the top 30-50 in world at their event.

鈥淲e have great finances within the city in terms of donors, but it鈥檚 not some of the vast donor bases that you see at a University of Texas or an Alabama, or any of those institutions. 鈥� One of the things that we鈥檙e finding out is holistically, how can our collectives can be more beneficial and effective sports other than football and basketball?

鈥淚 love being put on record of if you do not do everything in your power to make sure that football and basketball is continuing to thrive, where else will the funding come from? It鈥檚 logic. Buy those season tickets, man, wear your Block A around the city, do whatever you can. (UA administrators) fully understand that, and they鈥檙e getting after it big time. They鈥檙e not saying 鈥極K, (we鈥檒l do it) at the expense of every other sport.鈥�

鈥淓veryone has a different take. There鈥檚 a very prominent school in Texas that 鈥� I鈥檓 not going to give their name 鈥� but they鈥檒l get no revenue share (for track and field) whatsoever, at a major institution where there鈥檚 a lot of money, because they have to build football better.鈥�

Despite the challenges, Harvey said he is willing to help in whatever capacity he can, whether that be coaching or in community outreach.

鈥淚 think I have a lot more to offer the University of Arizona, the 大象APPcommunity and track and field ... I was very serious with Desire茅 when I said 鈥楬ey, I can shake hands and kiss babies with the best of them.鈥� It would give me so much pride to know that, 鈥極K, you have some direction, some thought in the development in our sport, in our community.鈥欌赌�

Since the announcement he was leaving, Harvey said he鈥檚 received a 鈥渃ompletely overwhelming鈥� reaction via social media.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no way I can respond back to every single person, so I鈥檓 just doing some videos. But the reflection to me is that, I鈥檝e always set out just to be a good person, help young people grow, and really help young people see things and talents, whether it鈥檚 from an academic standpoint or athletically, that they鈥檙e truly capable of achieving.鈥�

Of all the rewards as UA coach, Harvey said, among the top was watching former Amphi star running back Michael Bates leave the UA football team to focus on track 鈥� then win a bronze medal in the 200 meter at the 1992 Olympics ... and still go on to an all-pro NFL career as a kick return specialist.

鈥淗e had faith and belief. I had faith and belief. Mama Bates had faith and belief. Everyone else thought, 鈥楾his man (Harvey) is actually ruining this man鈥檚 life. He鈥檚 a football player. Guy鈥檚 not going to make an Olympic team.鈥� 鈥� Then to watch him go through that transition and winning the bronze medal? Those are super satisfying moments.鈥�

Another was Georgeanne Moline鈥檚 ascent to the 2012 London Olympics, where she finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles. Harvey said he believes in a 鈥�100,000 rep rule鈥� to reach full proficiency at a movement 鈥� and said Moline was particularly obsessive about repeating Harvey鈥檚 technical suggestions.

鈥淵ou remember Tim Tebow (a Heisman Trophy quarterback with an unorthodox throwing motion)? Well, when that guy left college, they said, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e gonna change his throwing pattern, and blah, blah, blah, blah.鈥� And the biomechanists were just laughing their butts off. Do you understand how many reps that demands? When that guy鈥檚 about to be slammed by a 300-pound nose tackle, he鈥檚 going back to what he knows. If that鈥檚 not his movement, he鈥檚 not going to use it.

鈥淪o when I teach hurdles and other things, there鈥檚 certain movements that have to happen. The 100,000 rep model comes into play, and we鈥檙e going to do it, and we鈥檙e going to do it, and we鈥檙e going to do it.

鈥�(Moline) was so far away (from the Olympics) but she got there because she was so anal about 鈥楥oach said to put the leg here, coach said to put the arm here.鈥欌赌�

Still, Harvey said he isn鈥檛 better than any other coach at teaching technique, but instead takes pride building relationships with athletes in which they believe he has their best interests in mind and will show them how to get the most from their talent.

鈥淎 lot of people, you鈥檒l hear 鈥業 made this kid do this. I made that.鈥� No, no, no, no, no, no. You can鈥檛 change the genetics of a kid, OK? They either have that ability or they don鈥檛. Your role and responsibility is purely being able to get those young people to realize what their talent levels are. That鈥檚 the greatest joy that I think I鈥檝e had.鈥�