UConn's Jim Mora Opens Up About Family Legacy
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The name Mora is one that is pretty synonymous with coaching. Current UConn Huskies football (3-2) coach Jim Mora has found major success in rebuilding a once dormant football program into one that reached nine wins last season and has amounted to a 21-22 record in Mora’s three full seasons as head coach of the Huskies.
Prior to joining UConn, the Huskies, Mora was head coach at UCLA from 2012-2017. As a Bruin, Mora compiled a 46-30 record, which amounted to four winning seasons in his six total.
Yet, the Mora legacy was started with his father Jim Mora Sr. Mora began his coaching career in 1961 at Occidental College, where he grinded as an assistant for a number of different schools, including Stanford, Colorado, UCLA and Washington before moving to the professional ranks with the Seattle Seahawks in 1978.
In 1983, at age 48, Mora moved to the USFL, where he landed the head coaching gig at the Philadelphia Stars. With UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley’s recent book “Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes to Be Great,” the current UConn football coach was asked about external pressure to love football.
“…It was something I loved, it was something I wanted to do, you know, when I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for my dad to get home and I could watch film with him," Mora said. "You know, it was film back in those days.”
Mora started his coaching career back in 1984 with the University of Washington for one season before bouncing around the NFL in a number of different positions before landing the job as the Atlanta Falcons head coach where he totaled a career record of 26-22 from 2004-2006, before landing one season as the Seattle Seahawks head coach in 2009 where Mora went 5-11.
“And now I have a son that’s kind of following in the footsteps of me and my dad, and that’s pretty cool," Mora said.
“So no, I never felt pressure at all. It was something I loved, you know, something I loved, and I still do love. I mean, it gets me up in the morning. I want to attack every day, you know. There’s no end in sight for me right now, I can tell you that. I never have thought about retiring. I can promise you that.”
Connor is a recent graduate from the esteemed Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech. He first found himself writing for recruiting database Rivals.com for just about two years before moving to Virginia Tech On SI. Connor has interviewed some of the highest-ranking members of Virginia Tech Athletics and looks to one day be a full-time writer covering Manchester United, his favorite soccer team.