Hall of Fame
Harding was appointed Director of Athletics and the ninth head men's basketball coach at Gannon in the summer of 1963. The Golden Knights finished 17-6 during his first season, but lost their first playoff in the NAIA to Mansfield State by one point in overtime. The following year, Gannon was 20-3 and lost in overtime again during a first-round playoff game. He guided Gannon to another 20-3 season during his final season in 1965-66. Harding's overall record was 57-14 for an .802 winning percentage, which was the highest of any Gannon basketball coach at the time of induction. His team won 89 percent of its home games. He left after the 1965-66 season to become the head coach of LaSalle for a year, and then coached in the ABA with the Minnesota Pipers for a year. Following that, Harding was the head coach at the University of Detroit for four years. He won 72 percent of his games at Detroit. Later, he became the Athletic Director at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
