Dec. 28, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City University soccer coach Brian Harvey has been named U.S. Youth Soccer / Adidas Region III coach of the year in the boys competitive division.

Harvey will be recognized at the U.S. Youth Soccer workshop and coaches convention on Feb. 8 in Pittsburgh. Harvey will be up for national coach of the year, which will be awarded on Feb. 8.

This past season, Harvey guided the Edmond Soccer Club `93 Black boys team to a third-place finish in the state.

"It's a great honor," Harvey said. "I know of many youth coaches in the 11 states within the region that are deserving as well, so I'm very honored."

Harvey has also been named Oklahoma boys competitive coach of the year. He will be recognized at the Oklahoma Soccer Association annual workshop on Feb. 1-2 in Tulsa, Okla.

At OCU, Harvey has a 540-203-37 record in 22 years coaching both the men and the women. His record in men's play is 312-140-21 with eight Sooner Athletic Conference championships, and his women's record is 228-63-16 with seven conference titles. He led OCU to an NAIA women's national runner-up finish in 2001.

Harvey, from Liverpool, England, has been coaching for 36 years, including stints with several professional leagues. He played professionally in Australia, China, England and the United States, where he played for the Dallas Tornadoes in the North American Soccer League.

Harvey has been coaching youth teams since 1978. He led Club America out of Dallas to the under-16 boys national championship in 1979, capturing the Notis Cup, now known as the Snickers national championship. He was named Oklahoma girls competitive coach of the year in 2002.

The past 10 years, Harvey has been an Olympic development coach in Region III.