DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Few positions could be harder to step into than that of new track and field coach Fred Harvey. Harvey took over after long-time leader Dave Murray stepped down as head coach following last season, passing the torch to a new generation of Arizona track and field.

First-year track and field coach Fred Harvey looks to bring the UA program to the next level while following in the footsteps of a coaching legend

For the past 15 years Fred Harvey has built a reputation as one of the premier sprint and hurdles coaches in the nation. This season he began his tenure at the helm of UA track and field, picking up the daunting task of replacing not just former head coach, but legend Dave Murray.

Murray had dedicated the past 34 years to UA track and field and cross-country programs, 22 of which were spent as a head coach.

The popular coach left behind a reputation for excellence and an incredibly high bar for Harvey to reach.

"It's going to be tough filling his shoes, but I wouldn't have it any other way," said Harvey. "I need someone like that to model what I want to do, because I want to be the best and to match what he did here. I don't know if that's possible, but that's what I am aiming for."

Harvey is not coming into the program blind by any means, and he is looking to raise the bar set by Murray.

Harvey's influence isn't limited to the state of Arizona. World-class athletes from around the globe head the list of stars that have benefited from the coach's expertise.

As the spring development coach in 2001, Harvey worked with a number of ex-Wilcats now playing in the NFL ÷Cleveland Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, and St. Louis Rams tailback Trung Candidate are among the most noteworthy.

Despite his success as a strength coach, track and field remains Harvey's passion.

More recently, the list of athletes trained on Harvey's resume includes former Wildcat sensations Brianna Glenn and Patrick Nduwimana.

Both athletes enjoyed tremendous careers at Arizona under Harvey's expertise. Glenn became the first athlete to win the 200-meter dash and long jump at the 2001 outdoor championships. Nduwimana holds the NCAA record for national meet time in the 800 meter race.

Harvey takes great pride in taking an athlete and making them succeed.

"It's a passion, it's what I love to do," boasts Harvey. "How is it I am going to help you get better?"

His passion and success have not gone unnoticed. Harvey has been selected by the United States Olympic Committee to captain this summer's Pan Am games. The games, to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will feature some of the finest athletes the United States has to offer.

The games, held every four years in the year preceding the Olympics, feature world-class athletes from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. This year's games will include athletes from 42 countries.

The events, set to take place in August, are widely considered second to only the Olympics as the world's premier sporting event, in terms of the number of sports and the number of athletes.

For Harvey, being selected as the head coach for the 17th running of the games is the ultimate recognition for hard work and success.

"It's a real honor," said Harvey.

The first-year head coach had plenty of success of his own on the track.

Harvey was a key member of the Mustangs' National Champion squads at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo during the late Î70s and early Î80s.

In 1979, while competing in the 50-meter dash, Harvey ran the fifth-fastest indoor time in the world. Ranked as high as sixth in the nation, Harvey was a three-time Division II All-American.

He was also a member of the Division II national championship-winning 400-meter relay team.

Harvey still ranks among the top-ten all-time scores in three categories in Cal Poly's record books öö the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Upon graduating from Cal Poly, Harvey took a position as assistant women's coach at his alma mater.

During his time with the Mustangs, the program accumulated an impressive 14 NCAA Division II individual national champions, 52 All-Americans, two Division I All-Americans and, most importantly, four Division II national championships.

After seven years on the coaching staff at Cal-Poly, Harvey joined Dave Murray as an assistant at Arizona. A decade and a half later, Harvey finds himself following in Murray's footsteps.

"Winning the national title is huge, and if we're not shooting for that, why are we doing it at all?" said Harvey.

But the quest for a title doesn't come at any cost for Harvey's Wildcats; the coach values his athletes' education above all.

The 80 athletes competing for the men's and women's squads average a GPA of 3.09, with the women just edging out the men.

"Our number one goal is to graduate kids," Harvey said. "What we do as a staff is provide opportunities to our athletes."

So as Murray's ride off into the sunset is nearly complete, Harvey's drive to national prominence is just beginning.