First published in 1974, The Front Runner raced to international acclaim - the first novel about gay love to become popular with mainstream. In 1975, coach harlan brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York coll...First published in 1974, The Front Runner raced to international acclaim - the first novel about gay love to become popular with mainstream. In 1975, coach harlan brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from penn state university on suspicion of being gay.