5 Saints Legends Unite to Send Sweet Message to Iconic New Orleans Coach Jim Mora

“Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game!” You must have heard this quote or at least a rendition of it. That is what the legendary Jim Mora answered when he was asked if his team could go to the playoffs by a reporter in 2001. That, in essence, was Jim Mora. An honest coach, always wanting to win the game without the fear of speaking his heart out. Maybe that is what made him stand out in the crowd of coaches we’ve seen in the NFL. If it simply wasn’t about his colorful interviews and press conferences, it was definitely about him making comebacks and getting his team to the next level.

It was in the 1987 season that he first etched his name in the New Orleans Saints history book. That was the year that Jim Mora gave the Saints their first winning season in 19 seasons. Winning 12 games and losing 3, before leading the team into the playoffs. His first of four, he achieved during his tenure in New Orleans, which lasted till 1996. He later joined the Colts in 1998 and gave his best coaching figures in 1999. That is when he won 13 games out of 16, coming back from a 3-13 season record. Making an unbelievable comeback.

As Jim Mora turns 90 years old on the 24th of May, he completes another milestone in a life full of many. Such was his effect on the Saints during his tenure that the team and the former players still look at him with nothing other than love. And it was this love that has made many former Saints players send their birthday wishes in a video shared on Instagram by the Saints. It was QB Bobby Hebert who first wished Jim in the video. “Happy birthday, Coach Mora. You know, you always wanted me to call you Jim, but you’ll always be my coach,” said Hebert, expressing the importance of Coach Jim Mora in his life. He also complimented Jim Mora’s fantastic looks even at 90 and said, “You’re like the best 90-year-old I ever saw. You look about 78, to tell you the truth.”

And Hebert’s not wrong, anyone who sees Mora today will mistake him for a 70-something man. Maybe the secret lies in his workout. Yes, Jim Mora still works out. The Saints even posted a video of him not skipping leg day, even on his 90th birthday. Hats off to the dedication this man has.

Next in line was former Saints Kicker, Morten Andersen. While wishing Jim Mora, he said, “It’s a big one, and I know you’re going to enjoy it. I hope you have a great time with friends and family.” Reminiscing about all the years he played under Mora and the lessons learned from him, he said, “We’ve had a lot of good memories together. I treasure those times.” Third in line was OL Willie Roaf, who thanked Jim Mora for believing in him and supporting him through the initial years. He said, “I want to thank you for drafting me in 1993, and I want to thank you for staying on me all them years, or I wouldn’t have had little Willie to talk to at night (showing a small statue of himself)… Love you.”

Saints Tight End Hoby Brenner also wished Jim Mora a “Happy 90th birthday.” Remembering the first time he met Jim Mora in a training camp in Louisiana, he said, “I still remember 39 years ago when we first met in Hammond, Louisiana, in your first training camp.” Last but not least, it was LB Ricky Jackson. Talking about how Jim Mora changed not only his life but also the team for the better, he said, “I appreciate everything you ever did for me. I appreciate you coaching me. I appreciate a lot of the things, man, that you made the team out of a winner. Take care of yourself, man.”

For players like Willie Roaf and Ricky Jackson, Jim Mora’s impact wasn’t abstract—it came through in the way he coached them, challenged them, and, in many cases, stayed in their lives long after football. The messages shared this week weren’t sentimental as much as they were specific. A training camp in Hammond. A draft call in 1993. A defense that started to believe it could win. Mora’s tenure didn’t end with a championship, but it gave the Saints something they hadn’t had before: structure, identity, and the expectation that they could be better. For those who played under him, that has lasted.

Jim Mora’s legacy is unending

Jim Mora’s legacy goes all the way back to 24th May 1935, when he was born in Glendale, California. He always had a knack for football, and it almost seemed as if coaching was in his blood. After all, he started his coaching career at Occidental College as an assistant coach at the mere age of 26. It was 3 years later that he was promoted to the Head Coach.

This is when he first got the taste of being a Head Coach. Over the years, Mora perfected his coaching skills when he worked at other college teams, namely, Stanford, Colorado, UCLA, and Washington.

It was in 1978 that he made his much-awaited entry into the world of NFL, joining the Seattle Seahawks as a Defensive Line Coach. He worked at the Seahawks from 1978 to 1981 before joining the New England Patriots in 1982. There, he worked as a Defensive Line Coach and as a Defensive Coordinator. Mora then transitioned to the USFL to strengthen his head coaching skills, where he coached the Philadelphia Stars/Baltimore Stars. He coached in the league for 3 years before it shut down, and compiled a 48-13-1 (.782) record and led the team to all three USFL Championships and won two.

Then, in 1986, he made his formal start as Head Coach in the NFL at the New Orleans Saints. A move that would forever change his career. There, Jim Mora worked with Ricky Jackson, Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson, and Sam Mills to form the Dome Patrol. After the dream season in 1987, Jim Mora won the NFL Coach of the Year award. He went to serve the Saints till 1996 and later joined the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, where he became famous for the great comeback. It was not just the comebacks he manufactured that he was famous for. Mora was widely known for his furious and energetic press conferences. He is even credited with inventing the word ‘doodly-poo’, which he had used for his team’s offensive play

Throughout his career, Jim Mora won 125 games and lost 106 as an NFL coach in the regular season, making him a living legend of the game. It was in 2001 that he ultimately hung up his boots. But Mora’s love for football was much more than that. In 2003, he started working as an on-air analyst for ‘NFL Total Access’ and continues to work as an on-air analyst for WDSU. Even at the age of 90, Jim More still remains as fit as they come and continues to increase his legacy.