WVU basketball trailblazer Ed Harvard dies at age 78
Feb. 15—MORGANTOWN — Ed "Possum" Harvard, who carved out his place in the history of West Virginia University men's basketball as one of the four integrators of the team, has died in Dumfries, Virginia.
Harvard was 78 when he died on Feb. 8.
Harvard joined his Weir High School teammate Ron "Fritz" Williams, who became an All-American and one of the greatest players ever at WVU; along with Jimmy Lewis and Norman Holmes on the freshman team of 1964, right in the heart of the civil rights movement.
Harvard and Williams played on the 1963 Weir High state championship team, a team that reached the state finals three times.
It was George King who recruited the four players to integrate the basketball program at a time when the Mountaineers were members of the Southern Conference and they went through some rough times as they pioneered a changing culture in America.
"It was nice in Morgantown, but the other places we went it was really tough," Harvard said during a 2004 interview. "We were the first blacks to play at WVU, so we got a lot of name calling when we went to other places. Richmond was the worst experience. The people there were outright calling us every name in the book. We had to a have police escort because the people there were so difficult."
They were the first four Black players in the Southern Conference.
When King left the coaching ranks at WVU and was replaced by Bucky Walters in the 1965-66 season, Harvard and the others were part of his "Gangbusters" lineup that was put together to cause defensive havoc on opponents.
At 5-foot-11 and 168 pounds, Harvard played in 32 games over three seasons and was a member of the 1967 Southern Conference championship team. As a senior in 1968 he played on the Mountaineers' NIT team.
Harvard went on in life to become a noted high school coach and referee in Vineland, New Jersey. He worked in the public school system for 38 years, the last 16 as Vineland's principal.
Harvard was preceded in death by his wife, Jacquline, and sister Renee Harvard. He is survived by one son, Ed Jr., two grandchildren, Christian and Emery, and siblings Joyce Harvard Smith, Virginia Harvard, Emmett Harvard and Noel Harvard.
A memorial service is planned for 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Union Baptist Temple in Bridgeton, N.J. The funeral service will take place afterward. Mountaineer fans and teammates can send condolences to the family guest book on Legacy.com.
