Born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Harvey, graduated from Stevens Trade School in Lancaster, Pa with a printing degree. He attended Appalachian State University where he wrestled and played football. Harvey's coaching career was spent at Duke University, where he dedicated 37 years to the athletic department. During his tenure, he held various coaching positions, serving as the head wrestling coach for 31 years. Additionally, Harvey served as an assistant football coach, assistant wrestling coach, and freshmen baseball coach. From 1967-1997, he accumulated a career record of 220-195-4, fourth all-time in victories among ACC coaches at the time of his retirement. Harvey’s 220 career wins remain the most of any Duke wrestling coach in the history of the program. He coached 16 conference champions, two ACC Tournament Most Valuable Wrestlers and 23 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. Duke's only Olympic wrestler also competed under Harvey in the early 1980s. Under his leadership the wrestling program produced six of Duke's eight seasons with ten or more dual meet wins.  Harvey’s wrestling team was also very successful off the mat and in the classroom. In 1997, Duke finished with the highest team GPA in the country at 3.9847.  Harvey received an honorary lifetime membership to the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2001, was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004, and was awarded the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.