It all started right here, on the Charles River.

The very first intercollegiate athletic competition occurred when eight men donned crimson bandannas and rowed a boat faster than eight men wearing blue bandannas. It was Harvard against Yale, the sport was crew, and the date was August 3, 1852.

The race took place on New Hampshire's Lake Winnepesaukee, but the victorious Harvard crew practiced on the same strip of water where the crews practice today.

One hundred and forty-one years later, 100,000 people fill the Rose Bowl every January 1 to watch a football game while millions more watch Keith Jackson and Al Michaels talk about it on television. The bandannas have become complex color-coordinated uniforms. "For the love of the game" has become "win at any cost."

Athletics are big-time now. Clear, clean Lake Winnepesaukee is a thing of the past.

While college athletics have seemingly gone professional, the Ivy League (and especially Harvard) has tried to go the other way. Sports, Harvard likes to say, are just that: sports, a challenge to the body the way philosophy is a challenge to the mind.

But that's not always the case. Harvard must still bow to the NCAA mandates of gender equity and athlete eligibility. A former professional athlete cannot play sports here, regardless of Harvard's "sound of mind and body" ideology.

On top of that, Harvard has the audacity to field several excellent teams (foremost among them the men's ice hockey and women's lacrosse squads) and encourage people to take notice of them. Harvard actually charges fans to watch the men's ice hockey team in action, and 35,000 people buy $20 tickets each November for The Game.

Bit by bit, the window opens wider. And before anyone notices, the wind blows out the candle on the altar.

Whether they like to acknowledge it or not, Athletic Director Bill Cleary '56 and his lieutenants, Associate Athletic Directors Patricia Henry and Francis Toland, run the largest athletic program in the country. Harvard fields teams in 41 sports on a budget of around $10 million. It's Division I, it's recognized around the nation as a model for sports administration, and it's big-time.

And it has problems it must face every year. This year, the question of gender equity threatens to upset the smooth-running old-boy network that's run athletics for so long. Several coaches have been hired to turn around oncegreat programs and results are being expected soon.

But the biggest question--as befits a thriving Division I big-time athletic program--is who will replace football coach Joe Restic, retiring after this season after 23 years at the helm.

Here, then, are the five biggest questions facing Harvard athletics this fall.

1. Who will replace retiring football coach Joe Restic next season?

The candidates have been pared down to a short list, but four months after Restic announced his upcoming retirement to the football team at its annual spring practice in May, no obvious successor has emerged.

"Our search committee interviewed several candidates and we now have a short list of candidates who are still under consideration," Cleary said.

The athletic department has not released the names under consideration, but current speculation centers on Fordham Coach Larry Glueck (a longtime assistant coach to Restic) and Williams Coach Dick Farley.

In addition, The Boston Globe reported on September 9 that University of New Haven Coach Mark Whipple was interviewed by the search committee and called him "a leading candidate."

Besides Cleary, the committee members are Henry, Dean of the College Fred Jewett '57, Dean of Admissions Bill Fitzsimmons '67, McKay Professor of Computer Science Harry Lewis, Executive Director of the Alumni Association Jack Reardon '60 and senior Brian Ramer, captain of the football team.

The committee placed an advertisement in theNCAA News, a weekly magazine published for coachesand officials, over the summer, and beganinterviewing candidates in July and August.

Over the summer, Northeastern Coach BarryGallup was frequently mentioned as a top candidatefor the post, but Northeastern promoted Gallup toathletic director in July.

The committee's selection will determine thedirection of the Harvard football program. Thereare two schools of thought about the Harvardcoaching position: it is either a place forcoaches to come and enjoy a long tenure, moldingyouths into men without any special emphasis onwinning; or it is an opportunity, a chance torevive a moribund program and make a name foroneself in the process.

Yale Coach Carm Cozza is perhaps the bestexample of the former. He has been at Yale for 29years and will still be there after Restic retiresthis November.

Former Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens is thebest example of the latter. Teevens won the Ivychampionship with Dartmouth in 1989 and 1990 andis now the coach at the Division I-A Tulane.

Whither Harvard? Is it "where coaches go todie," as one Boston sportswriter put it? Or is ita place where coaches can actually make adifference?

Restic himself straddled both views. Hired torevive a sagging program in 1971, he won Ivytitles in 1974 and 1975. But instead of taking anyone of several head coaching offers in the NFL, hestayed on for the rest of his career.

Stay tuned for further bulletins as eventswarrant.

2. How will Title IX affect Harvard?

Title IX is just a small part of a smalllaw--the Education Amendments of 1972--but it'scausing big pains for athletic departments aroundthe country.

No where has Title IX been a bigger issue thanin the Ivy League. Three of the Ancient Eight'sathletic departments are facing Title IX-relatedlegal challenges: Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown.

The law itself offers a vague mandate thatschools must provide "equal athletic opportunityfor members of both sexes." But opinions vary asto just what that means, and it's conceivable thatit may eventually be left to the United StatesSupreme Court to define it in concrete terms.

At the three Ivies faced with Title IXchallenges, the school's own women athletes havesued their universities because of what theyperceive as a lack of institutional support.Circumstances vary, but in each cases, athletesfrom low-profile teams were the ones who tooktheir cases to court.

. At Brown, members of the women's gymnasticsand volleyball teams, which the school cut forlack of funds, filed suit. In April, a federalappeals court ruled in favor of the students andordered Brown to reinstate the teams. Theuniversity is appealing.

. Members of Dartmouth's softball team field afederal complaint, now being investigated by theU.S. Department, charging that while baseball is avarsity sport in Hanover, softball is only a clubsport.

. Nine Cornell University athletes, all of themmembers of the women's gymnastics and fencingteams, filed suit saying that the schooleliminated their teams unfairly and that womenthroughout the university are not given ampleopportunity to participate in sports.

While there has been no clear legal victory inthe battle over Title IX, gender equity seems tobe winning the war for public sympathy. Lastmonth, Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds, creators of thesports comic strip Tank McNamara, made fun of thecoaches of men's sports, many of whom fear thatthe movement for gender equity will hurt theirteams.

"Nothing in particular inspired me to mentionit," says Millar, who writes the comic strip."It's just one issue that's going around thesports industry that I thought was worthy ofmention."

In the strips, officials representing thefootball program of the fictional school "ESU"take the media on a tour showing examples of howgender equity has hurt the football program. Inone, the media receive "wheat thins and nacho dip"instead of the "nice catered lunch you're used togetting" because of cuts prompted by Title IX.

"The basis for most humor is exaggeration,"Millar explains.

Harvard, in particular, has not been thesubject of ridicule, but the Department ofAthletics has been dogged by wome athletes andcoaches who criticize the way the departmenttreats them. Foremost among the critics has beenthe department's most successful coach, CaroleKleinfelder (see related story, below).

Department administrators, including Cleary,maintain that their department provides the sameopportunities to all sports and gives nopreferential treatment to men's teams.

But an internal department report obtained byThe Crimson last spring showed that more thantwice as much money is spent on men's sports as onwomen's. The report also details discrepanciesfrom team photography to practice time at BrightHockey Center.

Department officials have refused to comment onthe report on women's sports, which is providedannually to the Faculty's standing committee onathletics.

This fall's version of the report promises tobe a flashpoint in the growing battle over TitleIX at Harvard. Several coaches have requested tosee the report.

The report does not answer questions about thebest-kept secret in the athletics department: thebudgets for individual teams. Toland, the athleticdepartment's top administrative officer, refusesto release those numbers. The lack of thatinformation has fueled suspicion that individualmen's teams receive far more University money thantheir female counterparts.

It promises to be a big controversy, spurredentirely by a little, 21-year-old law.

3. How happy is Carole Kleinfelder with theHarvard athletic department?

One might think that the Department ofAthletics would be happy to retain its mostsuccessful intercollegiate coach. But Kleinfelder,the women's lacrosse field general, is also thedepartment's most forceful and consistent criticsof its treatment of women's athleics.

Kleinfelder mulled an offer to become Yale'slacrosse coach this summer before deciding to stayat Harvard. Athletic department officials havebeen exceedingly cool to her, and have refused todiscuss either her or Title IX publicly for thepast nine months.

Leaving to head up Yale's mediocre programwould have been a step down for Kleinfelder, whohas led Harvard's lacrosse teams to the NCAAtournament semifinals in three of the past fourseasons.

But a rough year off the field made leaving apossibility. Her criticism of the department'streatment of women athletes and teams strained herrelationship with her bosses.

And in December, the tires of her truck werefound slashed in the athletic department parkinglot, apparently in retaliation for comments shemade in a Crimson series that month. The incidentscared and angered her, friends and players say.

Now, Kleinfelder, who could not be reached forcomment last week, is back. And it's likely she'sspoiling for another fight--both on and off thelacrosse field.

4. What is second-year men's soccer coachStephen Locker doing to revive his program?

Lots.

Taking over a soccer program is like movinginto someone else's house. Former Harvard men'ssoccer coach Mike Getman replaced legend JapeShattuk in 1987 at a time when the Crimson'snational preeminence was at its peak.

But Getman's teams had two good years beforethe house turned into a shack, and Harvard fellinto the rut of consecutive .500 and sub-.500seasons.

Now, with one year leading the men's soccerprogram under his belt, Locker has begun toimplement the architectural designs he believeswill restore the shack to its once palatial form.

Locker has aspirations that go all the way tothe NCAA tournament and beyond. He believes thatgetting to the Big Dance this year isachievable--but the pragmatic coach, who came toHarvard from a very successful program at theUniversity of Rochester, also knows his team'slimitations.

"I haven't seen anyone in the Ivy league atVirginia's level," Locker said.

Of course, UVA has achieved the highest level,winning national title after national title andattracting the most talented players.

So what does Locker have to do to make hishouse look like that of Virginia head coach andliving legend Bruce Arena?

The answer is the in players.

"My goal is to chip away and begin to get sameplayers that would otherwise go to UVA," Lockersaid.

With the recruitment and arrival of juniornational player and freshman sensation WillKohler, along with three of his teammates fromPhiladelphia, Locker has started the process of"chipping away" or rather refurbishing the oncecrumbling shack he inherited from Getman.

And Locker projects that Harvard will reach thelevel at which teams like Virginia and Duke playwithin two years.

"Our skill has already grown dramatically,"Locker said. "And it will continue to do so untilwe reach the plateau of the top-20 teams in thecountry."

Locker's confidence is contagious, and he hasbrought an excitement to the program that has longbeen absent.

Veterans of last year's team worked together onsnowcovered fields last winter and have showngreat commitment, according to Locker.

"I have a philosophy that stresses my kidshaving fun," Locker said. "But I am probably oneof the biggest competitors you'll ever meet, and Itold my boys that it won't be fun if you're notwinning."

5) Can Frank Sullivan turn the men'sbasketball program around?

Men's basketball coach Frank Sullivan arrivedat Harvard two years ago with high hopes. Asuccessful coach at the Division II level,Sullivan had played for now-UNLV coach RollieMassamino at Lexington High School and served asan assistant coach to Seton Hall coaching guruP.J. Carlissmo for several years.

Soon after his arrival, Sports Illustrated rana feature story that listed Sullivan as one of thecoaching world's next generation of potentialstars. Sullivan himself talked of "establishing awinning tradition."

So what happened? Sullivan started out 0-11 andfinished 6-20 with a team inherited from formercoach Peter Roby. The next year, Sullivan went6-20 again.

This year, Sullivan finally gets to play hisown recruits--and by extension, he is on triallike never before. Is the 6-20 record a fluke?Harvard, with its diverse student body from acrossthe country, has many basketball fans waiting fora winning team, and Sullivan has failed to inspirethem so far.

Sullivan's top recruit this year is KyleSnowden, a 6'6" forward from Thayer Academy who isexpected to anchor an inexperienced frontcourt.

Snowden is regarded as one of Boston's finesthigh school basketball players and could be thestart of a line of recruits which could carryHarvard men's basketball to its first Ivy Leaguetitle in 92 years.

Then again, maybe not. Time will tell.

Doesn't it always, though.

Y. Tarek Farouki, Joseph M. Mathews and JohnB. Trainer contributed to the reporting andwriting of this article.CrimsonAmanda M. DawsonQuestion #4--What is second-year men'ssoccer coach Stephen Locker doing to revive hisprogram?