Jim L . Mora James Lawrence " Jim " Mora ( born November 19 , 1961 ) is an American football coach , currently the head coach at UCLA of the Pac - 12 Conference . Mora served as the head coach of the NFL ' s Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006 and Seattle Seahawks in 2009 . Prior to the 2008 season , the Seahawks signed Mora to a five - year contract and announced him as the successor to Mike Holmgren in 2009 . After a 5 – 11 record in his only season as the Seahawks head coach , Mora was fired on January 8 , 2010 . After a two - year hiatus from coaching as an analyst for the NFL Network and broadcaster for Fox Sports , Mora became the UCLA Bruins ' head coach on December 10 , 2011 , replacing the recently - fired Rick Neuheisel . Mora played college football at the University of Washington from 1980 to 1983 , and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 1984 . He is the son of retired NFL head coach , Jim E . Mora . Early years and playing career . As the son of an assistant coach in college football , Mora lived in various locations as a child : primarily in Boulder , Colorado ( ages 7 – 12 ) and also in California , mostly in the Los Angeles area . When Mora was 12 , his father left Colorado after the 1973 football season to join the staff at UCLA under Dick Vermeil . After one season in Los Angeles , the elder Mora accepted a position at the University of Washington under new head coach Don James , and the Moras moved north from Los Angeles to the Seattle area when the younger Mora was 13 . His father coached the defensive line at UW for three seasons , then moved over to the pro ranks with the Seattle Seahawks in 1978 , where he coached for four years under Jack Patera . The younger Mora attended Hyak Junior High and Interlake High School in Bellevue , and graduated in 1980 . Mora attended the University of Washington , where he walked - on and was a reserve defensive back / linebacker for the Huskies from 1980 to 1983 . He appeared in two Rose Bowls and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity . He began his coaching career under James in 1984 as a graduate assistant for the Huskies , and moved to the professional ranks the following year . Coaching career . Assistant coach . Mora hired on as a quality control coach with the San Diego Chargers in 1985 , moving up to coach the secondary in 1989 . In 1992 , he moved to the New Orleans Saints to coach under his father , head coach Jim E . Mora . In 1997 , the younger Mora moved to the San Francisco 49ers to coach under Steve Mariucci , and became the 49ers ' defensive coordinator in 1999 . Atlanta Falcons . In 2004 , Jim Mora was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their head coach with a five year , $ 7 . 5 million contract . He led the Falcons to a record of 11 – 5 and a first round bye in the playoffs . Atlanta hosted and defeated the St . Louis Rams 47 – 17 in the divisional round , and advanced to the NFC Championship Game , where they lost 27 – 10 on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles . In 2005 , the Falcons went 8 – 8 . Mora characterized the season as a " disappointing year . " This non - winning season continued one of the NFL ' s strangest records – the Falcons had never had back - to - back winning seasons in the history of the franchise , a 40 - year statistical oddity that no other modern professional team has matched . This record ended in 2009 . During a rematch of the 2004 NFC Championship with the Philadelphia Eagles , Mora was seen smelling ammonia capsules on the sidelines during a " Monday Night Football " broadcast . John Madden noted that some coaches use the capsules during games , although they are mostly for players ' use . Following the 2005 season , Mora signed a three - year contract extension with the Falcons , which guaranteed the final two years of his original five - year deal , and added a sixth in 2009 . The national media and the Falcons fans had high expectations in 2006 , but they fell to a 7 – 9 record . Atlanta lost their final three games , including two at home , and missed the playoffs for a second straight year . On December 14 , while the Falcons were still statistically alive in their quest for the playoffs , Mora said during a radio interview with Dave " Softy " Mahler and former Huskies teammate / roommate Hugh Millen on Seattle sports - talk radio station KJR - AM that if it were offered , he would take the head coaching job at the University of Washington ( a job that was not open ) , " " even if [ the Falcons ] were in a playoff run . " " While Mora later claimed that he was only kidding , he was criticized by many Falcons fans as well as members of the national media who claimed that making such comments was irresponsible . Team owner Arthur Blank publicly expressed his disapproval of Mora ' s comments . Following the season , the Atlanta Falcons announced that they had fired Jim Mora . Arthur Blank told the media , Mora turned to broadcasting after being fired from the Falcons when he became a contributor to NBC ' s playoff coverage . Seattle Seahawks . The Seattle Seahawks announced on January 21 , 2007 , that Mora was joining their staff as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach . Following the 2007 season , Mora interviewed for the Washington Redskins head coaching job after Joe Gibbs resigned , but Mora declined the position to stay with the Seahawks . Mora was announced as the successor to Mike Holmgren prior to the 2008 season and signed a five - year contract through the 2012 season , estimated at $ 4 million per year . Mora was officially named the seventh head coach in franchise history in 2009 , upon Holmgren ' s retirement after the 2008 season . His first official press conference as the new Seahawks head coach was given on January 13 , 2009 , where he enthusiastically shared his vision of bringing a Super Bowl championship to Seattle and having a championship parade from the Space Needle to the ' Hawks stadium , Qwest Field . After going 5 – 11 in his only season as Seahawks head coach , Mora was fired on January 8 , 2010 , with three years and $ 12 million remaining on his contract . Mora was replaced by former USC head coach , Pete Carroll . UCLA . On December 10 , 2011 , the UCLA Bruins announced the hiring of Mora as head coach , replacing alumnus Rick Neuheisel . Mora signed a five - year contract for $ 12 million , plus incentives . He immediately went to work as the Head Coach by hiring Adrian Klemm , Steve Broussard , Demitrice Martin and Eric Yarber as assistant coaches . Each is known for nationally renowned recruiting prowess . The results came early , as UCLA landed a consensus # 12 ranked recruiting class in 2012 after having a class ranked in the high 40s at Rick Neuheisel ' s departure . Broadcasting career . After his dismissal by the Seahawks , Mora accepted a position as a commentator with the NFL Network . In August 2010 , Fox Sports announced that Mora would be serving as a color analyst on the network ' s NFL coverage for the 2010 season . He is a sideline reporter and will team with play - by - play announcer Dick Stockton and analyst Charles Davis to call regional games . During NFL Network ' s Thursday Night Football schedule , Mora , alongside analysts Kurt Warner , Sterling Sharpe , Brian Billick , Jay Glazer , and host Fran Charles can be seen on Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears from Los Angeles . Mora and Billick can also be seen every Monday during the season on " The Coaches Show " , providing a breakdown of the biggest storylines and decisions behind Sunday ’ s matchups from a head coach ’ s perspective . Family . Mora is married to Shannon , with a daughter Lillia , and three sons , Cole , Ryder and Trey . He has two brothers : Stephen , a mortgage broker in Bend , Oregon , and Michael , an architect in Seattle . Coaching tree . NFL head coaches under whom Jim Mora has served : " Following first head - coaching job " Assistant coaches under Jim Mora who became NFL head coaches :