UConn’s Mora ready to climb Mount Everest

Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while wondering if all of those yellow flags strewn about NFL turf fields on Thanksgiving Day have been picked up yet. I don’t care what anyone says … the NFL was better in the 1970s with the Purple People Eaters, the Orange Crush, the Doomsday Defense and the Steel Curtain …

*I saw the Pope celebrate Mass on the Boston Common; I interviewed one of the most beautiful women in the world, Paulina Porizkova, at a Cafe' in Madison; and I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform the entire Born to Run album during a concert at Giants Stadium. But there is nothing cooler than hanging out on the sidelines of a high school football game with Jim Mora.

After spending Thanksgiving Eve at the Surf Club in Madison watching the annual Hand-Guilford battle, UConn’s new head football coach continued his tour of the Nutmeg State by attending the Norwich Free Academy versus New London game on Thanksgiving morning.

While standing alone on the New London side just a few minutes before kick-off, I saw Mora walking towards me. We never met before so I introduced myself. “Welcome to Connecticut, Coach.”

During the first half – and yes, Mora knew he was watching the oldest high school football rivalry in the country – we conversed like long lost friends. I don’t think I’ve ever met a bigger name who was more genuine, affable, and as down-to-earth as Jim Mora.

Here’s a former NFL head coach – he took the Atlanta Falcons to an NFC Championship game in January, 2005 – and the son of a former NFL head coach, and a guy who coached UCLA to back-to-back 10 win seasons with a pair of bowl victories, enjoying every minute of the Wildcats-Whalers slugfest.

Mora turned to broadcasting after being let go by UCLA after the 2017 season. He arrived in Storrs two weeks and has certainly hit the ground running.

“I need to coach,” Mora said. “It’s what I love to do. It’s my passion. It’s something that has been in my blood since the day I was born. My dad is a coach. I was missing it. I have a strong passion for it and I love being on a university campus.”

Mora had some other commitments on Thanksgiving morning and left at halftime after talking to The Day’s Dave Davis and me. My impression is that UConn has hired just the right guy.

“I like challenges,” Mora said. “Off the field, things that interest me the most are hiking, mountain climbing, mountain biking …anything that is uphill I like to do. I like hard things so accepting those challenges I think it’s just the way I’ve always been. It’s the way I’m built. This is not daunting for me at all. It invigorates me.”

Climbing Mount Everest might be an easier task than lifting the UConn football program from the ashes. But Jim Mora is going to give it one heck’uva shot.

*The new Baseball Hall of Fame ballot came out this week and there are plenty of Red Sox vying for immortality, the biggest of course being David “Big Papi’ Ortiz.

Here are the 30 players on this year's ballot: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Mark Buehrle, Roger Clemens, Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Todd Helton, Ryan Howard, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Tim Lincecum, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Pierzynski, Manny Ramírez, Álex Rodríguez, Scott Rolen, Jimmy Rollins, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Mark Teixeira, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner.

I don’t have a vote but if I did I’d check only two names on my ballot: Schilling and Ortiz.

The results of the vote will be announced on Jan. 25, 2022, with the ceremony taking place on July 24, 2022 in Cooperstown.

*Kudos to NFA senior Marc Josaphat and Griswold senior Jacob Blanchard for being selected to the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association All-State team.

*The Boston Bruins better get the franchise’s all-time leader in victories, free agent and injured goaltender Tuukka Rask, back soon. “I talked to Tuukka last night,” ESPN’s Sean McDonough told masslive.com. “He said rehab is going very well. He will begin skating five days a week next week. He’s already skating. He hopes that he can play as early as January and he hopes it’ll be as a Boston Bruin.”

The beloved B’s are off to shaky 10-7 start and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division.

*The Killingly football juggernaut begins their quest for a second state championship in four years on Tuesday night. Top-seeded Killingly, the only unbeaten team in Class M, hosts No. 8 Gilbert/Northwestern Regional/Housatonic (6-2) at 6:30 p.m. The state semifinals take place on Sunday, Dec. 5 at the site of the higher seed. Championship Saturday is Dec. 11.

*STUCK IN THE ‘70s: On this day – Nov. 28, 1978 – Aerosmith shook the Boston Garden rafters for the second straight night during the band’s Live Bootleg! Tour. They opened with a blistering “Toys in the Attic” and ended two ear-splitting hours later with “Train Kept-A-Rollin.” Formed in Boston in 1970, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford, and Joey Kramer went on to become the best-selling American hard rock band of all time.

Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: UConn’s Mora ready to climb Mount Everest