Jim Mora has already been hailed as the savior of the UConn football program that hasn’t had any form of consistent success since Randy Edsell’s first tenure at the school which ended with a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.
In a long-form piece on the 60-year-old’s coaches’ comeback to college football, Mora described his life inside a sprawling stately styled building that sits atop a hill above UConn’s campus, calling the place “haunted” but assist that it’s occupied with “good ghosts.”
“I just warn everyone who stays that it’s haunted,” Mora said with a laugh, “but they’re good ghosts.”
Jim Mora lives in a haunted house on the UConn campus. He insists they are "good ghosts." Profile of a coach and program united for revivals. "The challenge of going uphill and taking over a program like this… it breathes life into me." https://t.co/kJRX7DDEuc
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 26, 2022
As Pete Thamel points out in his article, Mora trying to breathe life into a supposed haunted house is quite apropos to what he’s trying to do in Storrs. The former NFL and UCLA head coach is trying to revive a Huskies program that went 1-11 in 2021 and has no current affiliation with any conference.
In Edsall’s second go around with the university, he managed to win only seven total games before resigning from the position in September.
While Mora seemed fine with his life after football once he was fired from UCLA in 2017, he cites “the itch” and passion he has for coaching as wanting to get back into the game.
“There was an itch that I had that I really felt like I needed this opportunity. It’s what I love to do, it’s what I’m passionate about. I love being able to affect these kids. I’m at the point in my life where it’s really, truly not about me.”
While no one is expecting UConn to turn things around in year one, Mora certainly seems up to the task.
“The challenge of going uphill and taking over a program like this,” Mora said. “It inspires me and breathes life into me.”
The Huskies’ first test will be against Mountain West Champs Utah State in Logan Saturday at 4 P.M EST.
[ESPN]