After a 78-year feud, the Case Western Reserve football teams are now ready to join forces.

CWRU President Robert W. Morse said yesterday that a plan to have the university represented by a single football team next fall is under discussion.

Morse said a formal proposal would be made in the next few days to merge the existing Case and Adelbert College teams info a Case Western Reserve squad.

Since CWRU federated on July 1, 1967, Case and Adelbert have continued to field separate teams in all sports except fencing. The fencing teams of both schools merged into one at the start of the current season.

CASE AND Reserve have had one of the longest grid rivalries in college football, dating back 78 years. Reserve (or Adelbert College) has a 49-18-6 advantage.

Morse said the creation of a single football team has been discussed with Presidents' Athletic Conference directors and that CWRU would continue to compete in the PAC.

"Combining the football teams makes sense." said Morse, "because of the relatively small turnout for each squad and the impact injuries have when a team has only limited number of players."

MORSE ALSO SAID there are no plans as of now for merging other teams.

"I've felt all along a merger was the best thing to do," said Reserve athletic director Ed Lewis. "It will enhance school spirit and be a real help to the entire university community.

"This is in step with the changing times."

School provost Herman D. Stein has said that Ernie Green, assistant vice provost for student affairs, had undertaken last year the coordination of developing a workable plan for a unified athletic program.

NIP HEIM, Case athletic director made a proposal to merge the football teams a few weeks ago," said Stein. "His plan received the backing of a Case Tech dean Karl B. McEachron and football coach Doug Mooney."

"I will meet with the Case football players as a unit this Thursday," Mooney said last night, "We'll discuss the pros and cons of the proposal.

"I've talked to several of them individually, but I want to discuss the proposal with the entire team."

"I think it's a good idea," declared Flory Mauriocourt, Reserve grid coach.

"THE MAJORITY of our kids have been for a merger for a long time."

Stein added that the creation of a single football team might create a minor problem. "We have no nickname for a university athletic team," he said. "Case Tech teams were known as the Rough Riders and Adelbert teams were the Red Cats.

"I assume that our students would make appropriate recommendations about a name."

Stein did not mention another problem: Who will be head coach, Mooney or Mauriocourt?