ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 25, 1996 TAG: 9612260054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Mike White was fired as coach of the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, becoming the fifth NFL coach to lose his job in five days.
The Raiders never got above .500 this season after losing four of their first five games. They finished 7-9 in a season marked by agonizingly close losses and repeated mistakes.
White was 15-17 overall and didn't make the playoffs in his two seasons; the Raiders were 8-2 in 1995, then lost the final six games.
``Mike White will not be retained as head coach of the Oakland Raiders,'' the Raiders said in a statement. ``He was notified that he was being relieved of his duties this morning.''
White had lobbied for his retention Monday, saying it would be best for the team's stability.
White joined Dan Reeves of the Giants, June Jones of Atlanta, Rich Brooks of St.Louis and Rich Kotite of the New York Jets as NFL coaches now out of work. During the season, Dave Shula was fired by Cincinnati and Jim Mora resigned in New Orleans.
Detroit's Wayne Fontes is expected to be released by the Lions, meaning more than one-quarter of the coaches in the league would have lost their jobs since the start of the season.
The team said White's assistant coaches will meet with management in the next week to discuss their future. One of those assistants, Joe Bugel, is considered a candidate for some of the current NFL coaching openings - including the one now in Oakland.
Another possibility is Minnesota's Dennis Green, who has expressed an interest in the job should he leave the Vikings.
White, 60, spent five seasons as an assistant coach before replacing Art Shell. He was their 10th head coach, fourth in the last decade.
The Raiders lost all but one of their games this season by a touchdown or less.
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Whiteby CNB