| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-07-21)July 21, 1926 Emeigh Run, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2011(2011-12-08) (aged 85) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Villanova |
| Playing career | |
| 1952–1953 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1958 | Brown (assistant) |
| 1959–1961 | Colgate (assistant) |
| 1962–1967 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (assistant) |
| 1968–1970 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1971–1993 | Harvard |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 22–17–3 (CFL) 117–97–6 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 5Ivy (1974–1975, 1982–1983, 1987) | |
Joseph William Restic (July 21, 1926 – December 8, 2011) was an Americangridiron football player and coach. He served as the head coach for theHamilton Tiger-Cats of theCanadian Football League (CFL) from 1968 to 1970 and as the head football coach atHarvard University from 1971 to 1993. He was known as a coaching innovator, devising a complex offense known as the multiflex while in Canada and taking it to Harvard.[1]
Restic playedcollege football atSaint Francis University[2] andVillanova University and graduated in 1952. He played two seasons as anend in theNational Football League (NFL) for thePhiladelphia Eagles. He played professional baseball in thePhiladelphia Phillies' farm system.[3]
From 1956 to 1958, he served as an assistant coach atBrown University. He was an assistant coach atColgate University from 1959 to 1961. He joined theHamilton Tiger-Cats as an assistant coach and later offensive coordinator. In 1968, he became the fourth head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, replacingRalph Sazio. As head coach, he posted a 22–17–3 record.
On January 5, 1971, he became the head coach of Harvard. He was head coach for 23 years amassing a record of 117–97–6. He led Harvard to fiveIvy League championships. When he retired in 1993, the 23 years that he coached at Harvard was the longest tenure in the school's 124 year football history.[1]
Restic had a friendly rivalry withYale coachCarmen Cozza who served as the Bulldogs coach for all of Restic's time at Harvard. During their period of the college football rivalry, known asThe Game, Yale won 13 times to Harvard's 10.[1]
Restic served aspresident of theAmerican Football Coaches Association in 1988.
While coaching in Canada, Restic devised the multiflex offense, which encompassed numerous formations, blocking strategies and pass patterns, sometimes with shifts at the last moment. The idea was to confuse the opponents. Restic explained that it was designed to "create doubt in the best athletes." For example, he would line-up three receivers on one side of the field, and then have them sprint to the opposite side just before the snap.[1]
In 1979, a professor and former Harvard quarterback, Larry Brown, created a class titled Fundamentals of Multiflex Offense to explain the maneuvers of the strategy. Some of the students included the Crimson's defensive players.[1]
Restic was one of ten children. His father, Louis, was a coal miner. Restic married Marian, known as Bea, who died in 2008. He had three children; his son Joe was a punter and safety for theNotre Dame in the 1970s.
In his later years he lived inMilford, Massachusetts and died inBoston after several years of declining health.[1]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Crimson(Ivy League)(1971–1993) | |||||||||
| 1971 | Harvard | 5–4 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1972 | Harvard | 4–4–1 | 3–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1973 | Harvard | 7–2 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1974 | Harvard | 7–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1975 | Harvard | 7–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1976 | Harvard | 6–3 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1977 | Harvard | 4–5 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1978 | Harvard | 4–4–1 | 2–4–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1979 | Harvard | 3–6 | 3–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1980 | Harvard | 7–3 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1981 | Harvard | 5–4–1 | 4–2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1982 | Harvard | 7–3 | 5–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1983 | Harvard | 6–2–2 | 5–1–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1984 | Harvard | 5–4 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1985 | Harvard | 7–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1986 | Harvard | 3–7 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1987 | Harvard | 8–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1988 | Harvard | 2–8 | 2–5 | T–7th | |||||
| 1989 | Harvard | 5–5 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1990 | Harvard | 5–5 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1991 | Harvard | 4–5–1 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1992 | Harvard | 3–7 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1993 | Harvard | 3–7 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
| Harvard: | 117–97–6 | 92–65–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 117–97–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||