Passing the torch to Mora
By Danny O'Neil
Seattle Times staff reporter
DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES
KIRKLAND — It took 4 minutes to get to his name.
Four minutes in which CEO Tod Leiweke and president Tim Ruskell talked about the franchise's accomplishments under Mike Holmgren, paying tribute before discussing the transition.
Only then did they get to his name: Jim Mora.
He is officially the sideline successor to the Seahawks' iconic coach. Mora agreed to a five-year contract that will begin this season and calls for his promotion to head coach beginning in 2009.
"It's a great thing for an organization to be able to do that," Ruskell said. "Say that openly, and have the head coach endorse that."
Holmgren hinted last month that declaring this his final season gave the franchise the opportunity to chart its future without the urgency that usually accompanies a coaching search. Holmgren was supportive enough to approach Leiweke and Ruskell about formalizing the arrangement. That set in motion discussions with Bob Lamonte, who represents both Holmgren and Mora, and the whole arrangement ended up pretty seamless.
"Mike Holmgren deserves enormous credit for that," Leiweke said. "Because the way he took this decision is different than I think how other people might've taken this decision. He gave us plenty of notice. He facilitated us, encouraged it, and now we have a chance to take the momentum we clearly feel we have as an organization and sustain it."
Holmgren was in Hawaii when Wednesday's announcement was made. He gave his seal of approval in a statement released by the team: "The continuity a move like this provides can only be a good thing moving forward."
Mora coached three seasons in Atlanta before he was fired after the 2006 season. He came to work as a Seahawks assistant coach last season, working with the defensive backs. He did not attend the announcement, and the franchise did its best to keep the announcement low key.
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