Murray Firing Indicates Ivy League De-Emphasis

The Ivy League's stormy petrol has flown the coop. Fran Murray, athletic director of the University of Pennsylvania since 1950, was fired over the weekend.

No one tried to conceal the fact that the vociferous advocate of "big time athletics" had been summarily dropped.

"I was given the heave-ho," he said simply.

An official announcement said that Murray's "responsibilities and duties have terminated."

Local speculation centered on a possible connection between Murray's removal and the recent departure of Yale Athletic Director Bob Hall. Although Hall directly opposed Murray on the TV issue, he did share some of the Pennsylvanian's views with respect to increased emphasis on football.

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University officials here, however, refused to comment on Murray's firing.

Murray, however, was less restrained. He told reporters that he had run Penn's athletic affairs in agreement with university policy, and that he was "proud" of what he had done.

But some Penn factions failed to share Murray's pride. The fiery former halfback had reportedly accused Munger and the Penn football team of lacking courage this winter because they had protested over the 1953 schedule.

No successor will be named, Penn announced, until completion of an exhaustive survey of Penn sports by the Board of Trustees.

One of Penn's greatest football and basketball players, the belligerent "Old Quaker" (1937) had tried to achieve permanent national sports prominence for his alma mater and local profit, too.

To get the first aim, he added big names to the Quakers' football schedule. Despite the protests of alumni, players, and even Coach George Munger, Murray succeeded so well that the Red and Blue's 1953 scheduled lists no Ivy League team.

Murray further sought to make financial capital from the good showing of Pennsylvania football. In defiance of the Ivy League and the N.C.A.A., he repeatedly battled for unlimited televising of games.