Former Harvard Football Coach Restic Dies at 85

Joseph Restic, the former Harvard football coach who led the Crimson to five Ivy League championships, died Thursday evening at the age of 85, Harvard University Athletics announced on Saturday.

Restic, who came to Harvard in 1971, collected 117 wins over his 23 seasons—an all-time record only recently surpassed by current football coach Tim Murphy.

According to the press release, Restic also served as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 1988. He was named the AFCA District 1 Kodak Coach of the Year in 1975.

A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Milford, Mass. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be made to the American Cancer Society.

—Check TheCrimson.com for updates.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.