Clancy the Clear and Future Viking Owner

Novelist Tom Clancy will be the new majority owner of the Minnesota Vikings, current co-owner James Jundt said at Minneapolis.

The purchase price will be slightly more than $200 million, Jundt said.

Clancy’s bid involves other investors. He would not identify them, but confirmed he was the majority investor and would meet the NFL mandate that each team have one owner with at least a 30% share.

Clancy outbid two other finalists by as much as $25 million. One of those bidders was Viking president Roger Headrick, who declined comment through a team official Tuesday.

Headrick acknowledged in an internal memo that Clancy wanted to keep the team’s management intact, but Headrick didn’t indicate whether he would accept that role.

Clancy also plans to keep Coach Dennis Green, who nearly quit amid the sale uncertainty before announcing last week he would fulfill the final year of his contract in 1998. Green also declined comment through a team official.

Clancy, the best-selling author of such military thrillers as “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger,” also is a minority owner in baseball’s Baltimore Orioles. He was ranked 27th last year on Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid entertainers with an estimated gross income for 1996-1997 of $50 million.

Co-owner Wheelock Whitney said one stipulation of the sale would be that the team remain in Minnesota. Clancy said that was his plan, and that his minority ownership in the Orioles probably would not be a conflict in owning an NFL team.

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Gary Stevens, the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator for the last nine years was fired by Coach Jimmy Johnson, who wants to rebuild the running game in place of Stevens’ pass-oriented attack.

“Because of the problem we had running the football last year and the offensive inefficiency at the end of the season, I felt that we needed to make a change in our offensive philosophy,” Johnson said.

The Dolphins finished the year ranked 29th out of 30 NFL teams in running the ball and Stevens’ dismissal was widely forecast.

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New Orleans Saint Coach Mike Ditka begins his second season with a revamped coaching staff and high hopes.

Markus Paul, Lary Kuharich and Ned James have been hired, while Rick Venturi and Jack Del Rio have been moved to new positions.

Venturi, the interim head coach after Jim Mora’s resignation two seasons ago and the assistant head coach and linebacker coach last season, was moved to assistant head coach and secondary coach.

Jack Del Rio, an assistant strength and conditioning coach, is the new linebackers coach. His old job has been filled by Paul, who played safety for Ditka with Chicago from 1989 to 1992. Kuharich will coach the running backs, while James has been named a defensive assistant.

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Willie Shaw, 54, was hired as the Oakland Raiders’ defensive coordinator, replacing Fred Whittingham, who may remain with the club in another capacity.

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If the Seattle Seahawks want him back, quarterback Warren Moon wants to come back.

Moon, 41, was the most valuable player in Sunday’s Pro Bowl. He has one more season remaining on his contract with the Seahawks.

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Buffalo Bill defensive end Bruce Smith had surgery on his right knee but is expected to be ready for the 1998 season, the team said.