Four years ago, the prospects of Mark Fusco's ever leading the Harvard men's hockey team to a berth in the national championship series, or of Don Allard's guiding the Crimson football team to an Ivy title seemed quite dim.

Fusco was, from the start, considered a first rate defenseman, destined to etch his mark in College sports history. But the squad he started with as a freshman was so dismal it seemed he would never garner more than individual trophies.

Allard suffered the opposite problem Few doubted in 1979 that Harvard could snag a league championship. They just didn't think that Allard would be the one to lead them.

But now, both have these accomplishments under their respective belts, the two boy wonders have made believers out of just about everyone.

And when the dynamic duo--Eliot House roommates--trade in their helmets and knee pads for Harvard diplomas today, they will leave behind more than just their names in the Crimson record books. They will also leave some of the greatest moments in Harvard sports history.

Few will forget Allard's finest hour--his brilliant dismantling of Yale in the most lopsided Game in history. And fewer still will forget the infamous slapshot from the blue line--the Fusco trademark that in four years brought the men's hockey squad from the depths of despair and into national prominence.

But they are only two heroes of Harvard's best athletic year ever. Departing with Allard and Fusco is perhaps the finest slew of athletes to grace the Harvard fields in recent memory. Graduating today is Adam Dixon, who helped bring a string of Heptagonal trophies to Cambridge for the men's track team. And Howard Sands, who turned the Crimson's men's tennis team into a national powerhouse.

Perhaps the greatest trend for Harvard athletics the past four years has been the emergence of the women's program. And no group has been more responsible for bringing title after title to Harvard than Francesca DenHartog, Maureen Finn, Pat Horne, Kate Martin and Jennifer White.

The Crimson coaching staff will have a tough time filling the shoes of the talented men and women who anchored more Ivy championship teams than any other senior class in history. Here's a brief look at the careers of these outstanding graduating athletes.

Don Allard

"It's not just that we're losing a gifted quarterback," Restic says of his prize senior field general Don Allard. We're also losing a truly remarkable leader and person: and that's something that's hard to replace.

That the Winchester Mass native emerged into such a talented college quarterback, however, surprised everyone. When he arrived four years ago, Allard found himself surrounded with more than 10 aspirants for the job. By junior year he had only worked his way to second string behind classmate Ron Cuccia, and tossed a measly 60 passes the whole season. He began this season with the same status. But the starter got hurt in game two, and Allard went from self proclaimed "All Backyard" to All New England.

"As I look back at what he had to go through," Restic recalls. "I only gain more respect for Donnie. Many other players would have called it quits, but never once did he get down or give up. He just kept trying harder. And harder and harder.

By the time he was done. Allard had eclipsed several Crimson passing records, had led Harvard to its 45-7 thrashing of Yale in The Game and had engineered a remarkable 7-3 season that culminated with the Crimson's first piece of an Ivy championship in six years.

"It was a long road up," the baby faced Allard says. "The hardest part was just waiting for my turn."