As William Harvey guided Hampton University’s rise to Division I during 44 years as president, ‘the team was the dream’

Dr. William R. Harvey enjoyed many moments of athletic celebration in his 44 years as Hampton University’s president.
None surpassed hugging the cheerleaders and players on-court in Boise, Idaho, in the pandemonium following the No. 15-seeded Pirates’ 58-57 upset of No. 2 Iowa State in the 2001 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
In their sixth year in Division I, the Pirates had long since outgrown the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They moved in 1995 to Division I an...