The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Joseph Restic

Followed John Yovicsin. Joseph Restic moved Harvard from National Program III to National Program II in 11 seasons.

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1971–1981 · 1 stint
Harvard
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerHARVARDNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelHarvard, 1971: 5-4, National Program III1971Harvard, 1972: 4-4, National Program III1972Harvard, 1973: 7-2, National Program III1973Harvard, 1974: 7-2, National Program III1974Harvard, 1975: 7-2, National Program II1975Harvard, 1976: 6-3, National Program II1976Harvard, 1977: 4-5, National Program II1977Harvard, 1978: 4-4, National Program III1978Harvard, 1979: 3-6, National Program III1979Harvard, 1980: 7-3, Regional Program I1980Harvard, 1981: 5-4, Regional Program I1981+3.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Harvard, 11 seasons
+3.0
National Program III → Regional Program I.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

Just 1–3 against Joseph Yukica.

One-score games
8–9
47.1% · margin ≤8
The toughest matchup
vs. Joseph Yukica1–3
4 meetings, 1978–1981
’78 W’79 L’80 L’81 L
25% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
0–1 0.0%
National Program
5–9 35.7%
Regional Program
12–10 54.5%

Coaching career

1971–1981
Harvardcaretaker
National Program III → National Program II
Joseph Restic moved Harvard from National Program III to National Program II in 11 seasons.

1st-best Harvard tenure of 3 by the numbers.

Followed John Yovicsin (1957–1970).

2 NFL Draft picks: Pat McInally (1975), Dan Jiggetts (1976)

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