Shell Fired, White Hired

Saying he wants to win the Super Bowl and needs a new coach to do so, Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis fired coach Art Shell and replaced him with offensive line coach Mike White.

Shell, a member of the Raiders organization for 27 years and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had been the coach since 1989, becoming the first black head coach in pro football’s modern era.

Shell’s dismissal was anticipated when the Raiders failed to make the playoffs after being dubbed preseason favorites to win the AFC. They finished 9-7.

Davis wouldn’t divulge terms of White’s contract, saying only, “It’s not for one year and not for five.”

White joined the Raiders as an assistant in 1990 to work with quarterback Jay Schroeder. He was reassigned to coach the offensive line in 1993.

Before coming to the Raiders, White was assistant with Bill Walsh at Stanford and Cal, and worked for him as an assistant when Walsh was head coach of the 49ers.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware signed a contract as the first quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ware, 26, won the Heisman Trophy in 1989 at Houston, but has since bounced around pro football.

Ware, who was a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1990, was released by the Minnesota Vikings last summer after signing as a free agent. He later signed a contract with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL and was under contract until last week.

Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan will get $8.5 million over the next seven years, making him the secondhighest paid coach in the NFL, according to a published report.

The Rocky Mountain News said Shanahan’s contract is second only to that of Miami’s Don Shula, who makes a reported $1.6 million a year.