The Odyssey of a Coach and a Program

A long and storied coaching career has come to an end.

With this Saturday's game against Yale, football coach Joe Restic will hang up his clipboard and retire from the Crimson sideline.

Not to say that his tenure has not been fun, however. Just as the Multi-Flex offense is intertwined with intricacies, so is Restic's career.

Restic came to Harvard to replace departing coach John Yovicsin, who for 14 years lead the Crimson to many successful, if not exciting, seasons. The conservative Yovicsin seemed to call a sweep every other play, and several black players on the team believed that there was racism on the coaching staff and boycotted a practice. It was time for a change.

Restic definitely provided that. Coming from the Canadian football League Hamilton Tiger Cats, Restic brought an innovative system known as the "Multi-Flex" where the offense would react to the defenses changes and exploit them. Still, not everyone was sold on it. In the registration issue, The Crimson wrote, "He may not beat them, but he will confuse them."

Restic's first season, 1971, was troubled. Spoiled by 7-2 and 8-0-1 seasons under Yovicsin, Harvard began the season 3-4. Quarterback Rod Foster complained that the playbook was too difficult, having been used to the bash-their-brains-out style of seasons past. Nevertheless, the Crimson finished the year with victories over Brown and Yale to have a record of 4-3 Ivy, 5-4 overall.

In 1972, hopes were up. The feeling was that now the team had had a year to learn the system, so that it could start winning some more. It was not to be. Harvard finished 3-3-1 Ivy, 4-4-1 overall, lost to Yale, and Crimson fans wondered if "Resticball" could ever work here the way it did in Canada.

For the 1973 campaign, hopes were not too high. Key players were lost to graduation, such as Eric "End Zone" Crone. The Crimson wrote, "Harvard fans can expect a lot of close scoring games this year."

In its Ivy League opener against Columbia, though, Harvard won 57-0, proving the first rule of the Multi-Flex: Don't ever try to predict it. The Crimson rolled throughout the rest of the season, and went to New Haven with an Ivy record of 7-1 and in the hunt for the crown. But Harvard lost to Yale, 35-0, and finished the season 5-2 Ivy, 7-2 overall.

In 1974 the Crimson seemed to get over last year's heartbreak. Harvard rolled through the Ivies, losing only to Brown and defeating Yale 21-16. With the effort, the team captured a share of the Ivy League title in its 100th season of football with a record of 6-1 Ivy, 7-2 overall. This season marked the first of Restic's five Ivy League titles.

1975 looked murky from the outset. Many key offensive stars were lost to graduation, including Pat McInally, who went on to play with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Restic, who was just beginning to get some gray hairs on his head, still had some tricks up his sleeve, though. The Crimson overcame an early loss to BU and closed out the 6-1 Ivy, 7-2 overall season with a 10-7 defeat of Yale. The victory gave Restic and Harvard their first undisputed Ivy League title.

For the first year, the Crimson was favored to win in 1976. Restic's career record at Harvard was 30-14-1, and the Crimson had either captured or shared the Ivy League title for the last two seasons.

After beginning the season 3-0, however, Harvard was stunned by Cornell, 9-0. The loss, which was so distressing that it caused The Crimson to print a special late Saturday supplement, led to losses against Brown and Yale and a 4-3 Ivy, 6-3 overall season.

The 1977 season brought Restic looking like a modern-day Clint Eastwood and questions about the football team. Could Restic work his magic and pull out a title? Or would the loss of star quarterback Jim Kubacki '76 hurt the team beyond repair?

The second proved to be the case, as Jim Davenport, the projected starter for the year, fractured a vertebrae in the first game of the year and was lost for the season. The Ivy League race was very close, but for the Crimson was defeated by the Elis to finish the season at 4-3 Ivy, 4-5 overall.

1978 was a boring season. The Crimson finished fifth in the Ivy League with a record of 2-4-1 Ivy, 4-4-1 overall, lost to Columbia for the only time in Restic's career, and was defeated by Yale for the third straight time. At least Restic showed the fashion sense not to grow big puffy sideburns.

Those fans that thought 1978 was an exciting year loved 1979. It was a season of firsts. Harvard lost six games in a row for the first time under Restic, but with its victory over Yale it also marked the first time the Crimson had ever defeated the Elis with a Georgian in the White House. Harvard finished 3-4 Ivy, 3-6 overall, and it seemed like the Multi-Flex was going the way of the dodo.

Ah, but just when you are ready to write off the Multi-Flex, it comes back with a vengeance. And in 1980, the Crimson started off the season with four wins and looked like an Ivy League power again.

Harvard, however, lost its next two games, and its hopes for a title fizzled with them. The Crimson did win its next three games, but a loss to Yale put a damper on an otherwise strong 4-3 Ivy, 7-3 overall season.

After its strong showing to begin the new decade, Harvard had high hopes for the 1981 season. But early season losses to Holy Cross and Army got things off to a slow start, and the Crimson finished the year at 4-2-1 Ivy, 5-4-1 overall. Against Yale, the Crimson lost for the fourth time in five years, and the merits ofResticball was questioned again.

That is, of course, a cardinal sin. For in1982, Harvard finished knotted with Pennfor first place with a 5-2 Ivy, 7-3 overallrecord. The entire season was extremelystrong--the only Ivy losses were both by twopoints.

What really made the year great, however, wasthe Crimson's dismantling of the Elis, 45-7, whichhanded Yale its first losing season since 1971.Probably the most exciting part of the contest waswhen MIT pranksters inflated a hidden balloon fromthe 45-yard line during the second quarter.

After the success in 1982, Harvard fans hopedthat Restic could get another title in1983. That he did, as Harvard ended upsharing it with Penn again. The Crimson startedthe Ivy League play off slowly with a 1-1-1record, but then finished the season 4-0-1 to earna 5-1-1 Ivy, 6-2-2 overall record.

For the 100th edition of The Game, Harvarddefeated Yale, 16-7 in New Haven. The victory wasHarvard's second in a row over the Elis.

The 1984 team was very young.Nevertheless, there was a mood around campus thatRestic could make the impossible happen--Harvardmight just win its third straight title.

Harvard did begin the season with a 1-2 record,but the losses were non-conference games. TheCrimson then settled down and won its next fourgames, and all of a sudden Harvard was atop theIvy League standings. Harvard lost to Penn andYale, however, to close out the season with arecord of 5-2 Ivy, 5-4 overall.

1985 marked Restic's 15th season ofHarvard football. His hair was getting grayer bythe day, and some wrinkles began to add hints ofexpression to his stoic face. The team had a verystrong season and went into New Haven tied forfirst in the Ivy League.

However, the favored Crimson lost to the Elis,16-7, and finished tied for second in the Ivies.Harvard's record for the season was 4-2 Ivy, 7-3overall.

1986 was a terrible year. Harvard, whohad been in the hunt for an Ivy League title forevery year since 1979, its last losing season. Butin 1986, the Crimson lost. And kept losing. Totheir credit, they did beat Columbia, Dartmouth,and Yale. However, 3-4 Ivy, 3-7 overall is not avery impressive record.

1987 was a definite change from thetroubles of the previous year. Expectations werelow, and that seems to be the time when theCrimson does its best.

Using a high-powered offense that generated 243points on the season, Harvard compiled a 6-1 Ivy,8-2 overall record, and captured its firstundisputed Ivy League title since 1975. TheCrimson also defeated Yale for the second straighttime.

After the success of 1987, one wonders how ateam goes 2-8--like it did in 1988. Theseason began well enough, with the Crimsondefeating Columbia 41-7. (Of course, some Pee-Weeteams could defeat Columbia 41-7.) Harvard didn'twin another game until Brown came up to TheStadium for the annual Thank God for Bad Teams orElse Our Record Would Really Be Bad Game, whichHarvard won easily.

Needless to say, Harvard lost to Yale.

Restic would again never find the glory of theearly to middle '80s. The years from 1989 to 1992are all a blur, devoid of winning seasons andlacking any hopes of any Ivy League titles.

1989 started poorly with a 1-4 record,but the Crimson finished the year off strong,winning its last three games, including a defeatof Yale. Harvard's record for the season stood at5-2 Ivy, 5-5 overall.

1990 was rather uneventful. The Crimsonwas very streaky, winning its first two games,losing its next two, winning two, and then closingout the year with two losses, including a defeatat the hands of Yale. The biggest excitement inthe 3-4 Ivy, 5-5 overall season was Restic servingas an assistant coach in the Japan Bowl, whereAmerica's gridders show off their talents tobewildered Japanese.

The next season started off very slowly, butRestic's Crimson improved as the seasonprogressed. As usual, 1991 began with athumping of Columbia, but then Harvard lost itsnext four games.

However, defeats of Princeton, Brown, and Pennput the Crimson on a roll as the team travelled toNew Haven. Alas, Harvard loses, and the Crimson'srecord stands at 4-2-1 Ivy, 4-5-1 overall.

1992 was not nearly as good. A victoryagainst Columbia got things started off well, butthe Crimson lost its next seven games.Nevertheless, Harvard rebounded to win two out ofits last three games, including a 14-0 shutout ofYale.

Then, in May of 1993, Coach Resticannounced that 1993 would be his last campaign.When he steps off of the Yale Bowl field for thelast time, Restic might reminisce over the last 23years of Crimson football. Such things asHarvard's first Ivy League title in 1975, or thefun of always starting the season againstColumbia, or the way that Restic came to Cambridgeas a coach with a quirky offense and is leaving asa genius.

Some seasons have been hard, and some seasonshave been fantastic. But more importantly, Harvardfootball has been exciting, interesting, and mostimportantly, fun.Crimson File PhotoRestic enjoyed more than his share of upsand downs through his 23-year career, sufferingthrough cellar-dwelling years and Ivy Leaguechampionships.