Marv Harshman

Marvel Keith Harshman (October 4, 1917 – April 12, 2013) was a college basketball coach, a head coach for forty years in the state of Washington at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington State University, and the University of Washington.

Early years

Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Harshman moved to the Pacific Northwest as a child and graduated from Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Washington. He attended Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington, where he lettered 13 times in four sports and graduated in 1942. Harshman served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, then returned to PLU to coach. He was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in the fifteenth round of the 1942 NFL Draft.

Collegiate career

While at his alma mater of Pacific Lutheran (1945–58), Harshman was also the head football coach from 1951 to 1957, compiling a 27-26-2 (.509) record. He moved to Washington State University in Pullman in 1958 to succeed Jack Friel and coached the Cougars for thirteen seasons. When Husky head coach Tex Winter left for the NBA in 1971, Harshman moved across the state to the University of Washington in Seattle. He compiled a 642-448 (.589) collegiate record. Pressured by the university administration to step down, Harshman involuntarily retired from coaching at age 67 in 1985, following consecutive conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances.