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Still Keeping the Faith

"And the other part is, what's going to happen to the freshmen academically? They've never been here. Coming in, without the benefit of even one semester, I can only see one thing happening; great attrition in the freshman and junior varsity programs."

It's a losing battle Restic is fighting, a one-man Alamo garrison. It's part of the reason Restic's getting out after 23 years.

"I would coach the rest of my days if I felt the sport would go in a good direction," Restic says. "There are a lot of things that need to be done. Football isn't going to survive the way it's going today."

But it will survive at Harvard. That--not the five Ivy titles, not the 113 or so wins--will be Restic's legacy.

Not at Harvard, he says. Not at Harvard.

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"Harvard's been doing it the right way." Restic said, enunciating for emphasis. "The Ivy League has been doing it the right way. I just see things happening....Harvard has to be out in front when it comes to that part. Harvard has to be a beacon in that respect. Not only to the League, but to the game."

John B. Trainer is a Crimson staff writer. He wants to note that in 1980, Restic said that if he believed in reincarnation, he'd want to come back as a sportswriter. He also said that John should be the next head coach of Harvard football.

RESTIC FOR THE RECORD

A collection of quotes from over the many years....

* July, 1973, on the proposed legalization of gambling on college football: "The idea of legalizing gambling on amateur sports by Massachusetts could only result from a moral breakdown similar to Watergate."

* December, 1981, after Ivy League football was demoted to I-AA status: "I'm very disappointed. I just can't believe what's happening....How can you justify a battle for TV money on an educational basis? There is no question that young football players have become commercial pawns."

* November, 1989, after winning his 100th game: "Win or lose, do it in a class way. That's what I've always tried to teach here, because that's what playing football is all about. I think that's what coaching is all about, also."

* June, 1993, on whether he might have visualized himself in this position 22 years ago: "I don't look that far ahead. I don't have five-year plans. I don't have 10-year plans. I don't believe in communism. It doesn't work."CrimsonArnanda M. DawsonPORTRAIT OF THE COACH AS AN AGING MAN (TOP TO BOTTOM): Restic being carried off the field after his 100th victory, against Brown in 1989; arguing with a referee in 1982; pondering his next play in 1984; and the coach relaxing in his Dillon Field House corner office last week.

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