Hall of Fame
Member of Board of Regents, 1948-1952, 1958-1962
Generous Benefactor Responsible for New Main Alter in St. Ignatius Church
Key Contributor to Construction of Memorial Gymnasium
Charles Harney was born on May 12, 1902, in San Francisco, the son of a building contractor. He began working for his father at the age of 12 in buildings around the city. He attended the then Saint Ignatius College, and then took over a larger role in the company, earning a reputation as a stubborn business man. The Depression had little effect on the company, and he supplemented company income with street paving and building the USF sports field on campus.Â
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He took a post on the USF Board of Athletics in 1941 and served until 1950. He also supported the San Francisco Opera. In 1944 he became President of the Northern California Chapter of the American General Contractors, and worked as the National Chair in 1947. His company built the Pine Flat Dam on the Kings River, near Fresno, and the Camp Parks Airfield in Alameda.Â
In 1953, he bought forty acres of land near Bayview on Candlestick Point, intending to develop it for residential lots. In 1956, he asked the San Francisco Planning Commission to allow him to build a stadium on that site. When the New York Giants of the NFL indicated that they would be moving to San Francisco for the start of the 1958 season, the City Council authorized 5 million dollars in bonds for the stadium. The project eventually cost a total of 21 million, but Harney agreed to be paid with revenue generated by the use of the stadium over 21 years. This arrangement however, was plagued with lawsuits which persisted until after his death. The construction was beset with grand jury investigations, work stoppages, and conflicts between Harney and the stadium architect John Bolles. After a mild heart attack, and an unidentified medical condition that necessitated surgery, he was under medical orders to take a break. The completed stadium was named Candlestick Park, and the Giants used it until 2000, and the 49ers played there from 1971 to 2013.Â
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He was an avid sports fan, and served as Chairman of the 1947 San Francisco Olympic Committee, and was one of the original owners of the Oakland Raiders. He was an enthusiastic supporter of USF basketball and contributed to the 1958 construction of the War Memorial Gymnasium, the first home basketball court for the Dons.
He was intensely loyal to USF, and gave generously to the university, as well as to medical care facilities in the Bay Area. He also supported the Hanna Center in Sonoma, and the Salesian Boys' Club. He was a member of the USF Board of Regents from 1948 to 1952, and from 1958 to 1962. He was Head of the Building and Grounds Committee and was generous in time, counsel and financial support. He and his wife donated the marble sanctuary, the altar, and its baldachin in Saint Ignatius Church in 1949. In June, 1962, Pope John XXIII honored him with a Knighthood in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a distinction given to Catholic laymen who give outstanding service to the Church. The USF Science Building is named after him. The University honored him with a Doctorate in Law, in 1959.
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