Eli Athletic Head Fights With Penn Over Football TV

Yale's Director of Athletics Bob Hall shot out at Fran Murray, his counterpart at Pennsylvania, with a vengeance again yesterday in a new outbreak of TV hostilities.

The new verbal barrage came when all appeared more peaceful than it has in weeks. Only last Tuesday, Hall, who is chairman of the NCAA television committee, had granted a request by Murray for an unscheduled TV showing of today's Penn-Notre Dame game in the Philadelphia area. Arrangements were completed for the TV showing of the sell-out game.

Then Murray mystified both Hall and the NCAA committee by requesting that the regularly scheduled game between Columbia and Princeton also be piped to the Philadelphia area as originally planned. At this request, Hall retorted:

"We are at a loss to explain this latest request of Murray's. He asked to make available the Penn-Notre Dame game to the Philadelphia area. That request was granted. Now, it appears that he is intent on wrecking the entire NCAA program of limited television of college football games."

Murray and Hall have been at odds since last spring, when Penn first refused to go along with the NCAA agreement to the TV blackout. Hall won the first skirmish when Penn was forced to back down under threat of expulsion from the NCAA.

The blackout has meant a considerable financial loss to Penn, which had already completed a lucrative TV contract before the NCAA clamped down in an effort to increase ticket sales. Penn doesn't stand to make money on today's TV broadcast either. They've promised to turn over all TV money to charity.

Late yesterday, Hall continued to stick by his original decision not to pipe the Columbia-Princeton game to the Philadelphia area. This decision will probably stand.