Eli Football Team May Select Coach

Yale's somewhat bedraggled football team may have a voice in selecting its own coach, if the University accepts some of the suggestions emerging out of a current secret poll of Eli players.

The questionnaire, prepared and distributed by the Yale Daily News, starts off bluntly: "As a coach, do you consider Hickman excellent, good, adequate, poor, unsatisfactory (underline one.)" And it continues in this direct vein.

Although the poll dips into various other possible causes for this season's dismal showing, ("Has alumni pressure been excessive this year?") it centers most of its probing on the rotund Hickman.

The football-playing Yaleman is asked to analyze Hickman's resourcefulness ("Do you think he makes the best use of the material available?" and "If not, do you feel he plays favorites? (yes or no)") and his outside interests ("Does Hickman spend more time on television than he should in the best interests of Yale football?"). Hickman has been appearing on a regular weekly television quiz program for the past year.

Every one of Hickman's four assistants is the subject of at least one query in the 17-question poll. In addition, the poll tests athlete reaction to Yale policy ("Do you feel that giving Hickman a ten-year contract was a wise or unwise move on the part of Yale?" and "Do you feel that the elimination of spring football was a sound or unsound move?").

Distributed as a purely independent move on the part of the "News," and as yet untabulated, the poll ends on an indecisive note: "Do you have any general of specific comments and/or any instances of particular interest concerning the Yale football situation?"