Different Strokes

They're as different as crimson and blue, as distinct as Cambridge and New Haven. And when it comes to coaching football. Harvard's Joe Restic and yale's Carm Cozza are as different as-well, Jone Restic and Carm Cozza.

Together, they've been at the helms of their respective programs longer than the other six IVY League football coaches combined, and between Cozza's 20 yaers in New Haven and Resue's 14 seasons in Cambridge, they've won 201 games.

But their paths to success seldom cross where Cozza position as the 13th most successful active college coach-on consistency, the Crimson mentor has relied on a dynamic, exciting offense. There his baby, the Multiflex, has bcome Harvard's trademark.

Incorporating "multiplicity and flexibility," in its inventor's words, the Multiflex has delighted watcher" and stymied opponents of Harvard to ball for years.

Using half-a-dozen basis sets and their infinite variations, the Restic offense changes every week depending on the opponent-that's the multiplicity-and makes use of such hocus-pocus as backs and ends in motion before the snap-that's the flexibility.

Best-known formations include the quarter-back-in-motion set where the snap goes to the fillback, and the crowd-pleasing no-back alignment, Correctly executed, the Multiflex leaves its victims guessing even as they retreat down the field.

"It looks intricate, it looks comlicated." Restic acknowledges, adding. "I think for the people that play it, it's exciting."

And exciting's just not the first word that comes to mind about yale football. "I think Coach Restic is more of a wide-open offensive Coach." Cozza-coached squads-nine of which have copped IVY titles.

"There's some set of techniques," adds the current Harvard assistant professor of History. "That's the way to coach."

Butnot if you're Joe Restic.

If you're Joe Rastic, they way to coach ir to take your oppoents's two most important qualities-movment and aggressiveness-and take one of them, away.

"The most frustrating thing that can happen is that you perpare for a game all week and no saturday, you see stuff you didn't expect." Says the villanova graduate. "And your kids are in a state of shock-they're disoriented."

And, presumably, less aggressive "All of a sudden." Restic says of the razzle-dazzle, make their heads spin system that's brought this year's Crimson to $ 3 million overall, 54 IVY. "it's Crimson negated all that strength that you had.

Cozza's squads have been known for and wide for the strength they-have-or had. Until a couple of years ago. But yale suffered through its worst season ever, a 1-9 campagin, in 1983. The year before, the Bulldogs went 4-6.

And after this year's season opening 27-14 loss to Brown. Lee says of Cozza. "it was just eating him up-it was so frustrating."

Two years of frustration and sub-per recruting -a dearth that many have attributed to yale's athletic administration rather than the football program-appear to be over (the squal brings a 5-3 overall, 4-2 IVY record into today's matchup) but Cozza's handling of the situation has left a definite impression.

"Cozza would never put the blame on the player or put the balme on the administration: he put the blame on himself." Says Harvard Captain Steve Abbort, who calls the most successful coach in Yale football history "one of the greatest coaches ever in the IVY League."

He's none too shabby at recruiting, either, according to former Eli running back John Pagliaro.

He's interested, very interest, whether it's a star player or a mediocre player." Says the only player to cop outright IVY player of the year honors twice-one of six Bulldogs to ears the honor in the 14 years it's existed.

Current Yale players speak of their coach in terms usually reserved for eulogies.

"He's a great coach to begin with, but he's most than a coach-he's more than a coach-he's very caring. "Says junior defensive back Tim Korkiewicz. "If you have a problem, you can always go to him and he'II make sure you're taken care of as best as he can.

"I've got total respect for him-I can't think of any player that doesn't feel that way."

"He's an amazing person," says Yale Captain Marty Martinson. "Just amazing."

His 124-56-3 record, fans and opponents agree, speaks for itself, but perhaps Cozza articulates his own style best. "We've teachers as well as coaches"

Restic on the other hand, seems to see himself as more of a trainer or coordinator.

"His role is move in the strategies than it is in teaching the skills of the techniques," says Abbort. "I think he is fascinated by the intricacies of the game.

"He really enjoys the details of the x's and O' more than most coaches."

"A player comes out of Harvard football with a tremendous same of football as its most elaborate," says former Harvard fullback Chris Doherty. "It's elaborte and it's exciting and it's kind of fun, if you will."

But Restic's more than a technician. The former pro football and baseball player sees the game as a unique indicator of its players' personalities, even their outlooks on life.

He came to Harvard after nine years of coaching the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League, and seems truly to appreciate the college game more than. Its professional counterpart.

"On the pro level, it's strictly business-the name of the game there is win," he says. But in college, the stakes are different: "The game's a game because both sides have a fair chance to win."

"You really have to have people that are totally unselfish," he says. "They lose their self-identity, and through the team they gain it again, if the team's successful."

And if the team's not successful? "They say the sport builds character, and that's very true, but you don't see it until you lose," Restic says. "That's the great thing about the game of football-it unveils you."

He exudes a respect and love for football itself, and if that attitude has drawn criticism in the past for causing the coach to look more closely at the game than at the players, those charges have died down.

"His door is always open," says Roger Caron, a current pro prospect who quit the program as a sophomore. "I've always been able to go in there, into his office, and talk to him about anything.

"He didn't have to let me play any more," recalls the fifth-year senior. "If I go on to play pro, I owe a lot of it to him, just for letting me play."

And that may be the most telling distinction between Restic and Cozza. Both are personally conservative and unemotional on the field, but off the turf. Cozza makes an effort to reassure his squads, even befriend them.

As for Restic, "He's a football coach, he's not your buddy," Caron says. "If you want to go in and talk to him, go ahead."

Or maybe a quick look at recruiting techniques tells even more. A few years back, Cozza offered to send his daughter to Radcliffe--if Joe Restic Jr. spent four years in New Haven.

Joe St. wasn't exactly wild about the idea. "I didn't think that was going to help me on the football field," he recalls. So while he waited for Joe Jr., who later played in the USEI to decide to attend Notre Dame, he evaluated his options.

"He was in my household and I knew I could recruit him it he looked like he was considering it seriously," the father says of the son May be he even have toyed with the idea of the "exchange."

"I think if we made a double exchange where I gained one on the field and he gained one on the sideline," Joe Sr. says now, "I woulda gone for it."JOE RESTIC