In June of 1930 Emerson Harvey was the state runner-up in the discus for Modesto High School. He enrolled at Sacramento Junior College that fall and competed for the track team in the Spring of 1931 when he helped the Panthers to a conference championship as he was the “hurdles champion” at the conference meet (it’s not known whether it was the 120y or 220y event). In the fall of 1931, Emerson was an all-conference end for the NCJCC champion football team, which outscored its conference opponents 108-0. After competing on the track and football teams as a sophomore, Emerson graduated from SJC and eventually found work at a Walgreen’s Drug Store in San Francisco. It was at that drug store, where, in the summer of 1937, Tom Lillico, an athletic recruiter for Arizona State Teacher’s College, recruited Emerson to become the first African-American varsity football player at ASTC (now Arizona State University). With the exception of HBCU’s, this was at a time when there less than 20 African-American players competing for 4-year college teams. Emerson played for 2 different head coaches in his 2 seasons, when he started as a blocking back and defensive end. Emerson graduated with a degree in industrial arts in 3 semesters, and despite taking 18 units his final semester, he had a near perfect GPA.

Immediately after graduation, (with the help of Lewis Neeb, an industrial arts professor), Emerson began teaching in the Phoenix school system, where he spent his career as a teacher and coach.  In 1940, Emerson moonlighted by playing for the Phoenix Panthers in the first season of the Pacific Coast Football League.  Arizona State honored Emerson Harvey at the season opening football game on August 30, 2012 by wearing his number 47 on a shoulder patch, 75 years after he first played there. Emerson died on May 31, 1993 at the age of 83.