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Danny O'Neil covers the Seahawks for The Seattle Times.

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February 5, 2009 3:16 PM

Quick intro: Dan Quinn, defensive line coach

Dan Quinn did everything he could to get Jim Mora's attention back in 2001 when Quinn was the defensive coordinator at Hofstra looking for any opportunity to join the 49ers staff.

"I used absolutely every possible angle I could," Quinn said.

That included Quinn recruiting help from his sister-in-law, who had worked with Mora's wife, Shannon, at Nordstroms in San Diego.

"I kept getting these phone calls from this guy named Dan Quinn at this school called Hofstra back in New York," Mora said. "I wasn't familiar with Dan Quinn, and I wasn't familiar with Hofstra. All I knew that this guy was relentless."

Eight years later, it was Mora who recruited Quinn to join his staff in Seattle, interviewing him to become the defensive coordinator. Quinn was the person Mora had in mind for the job when he set about putting together the staff, but then Gus Bradley came and made such a first impression that Mora wanted him to be the defensive coordinator.

He wanted Quinn, too.

"I went into Tim and I said, 'Hey, we got to get both these guys now!' " Mora said. "Do what you got to do, but we got to get both of these guys, okay?'

"And I had great conviction about that."

For his part, Quinn said he was convinced, too, and accepted a job as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach.

"I felt there was a really good core group of guys that I met here," Quinn said. "I obviously had a good feeling for Jim, and I thought as the head coach I felt he would have all the right stuff about him to be on a good team, sustaining success."

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