Ron Rivera, a former consensus All-American for the Golden Bears was named the first general manager of the California football program on March 20, 2025, and is in his second season in the role in 2026.
In this newly created role, Rivera reports to UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons and has complete oversight of the football program with a focus on revenue generation and fundraising.
Rivera is known as a passionate and skilled leader who has earned the respect of his players, coaching staff and the communities he has coached in. The son of a U.S. Army officer and the second youngest of four boys, Rivera learned from a young age about chain of command and many of the principles he teaches and expects from his players and staff.
In 37 seasons as a collegiate or professional football player, coach or administrator has been with teams that have reached three Super Bowls, 10 conference championships, 21 playoffs and one bowl game.
He is a member of both the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 1994) and the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2026).
Rivera became only the third Latino head coach in NFL history when he was hired by Carolina in 2011, joining Tom Flores with the Oakland Raiders (1979-87) and Seattle Seahawks (1992-94), and Tom Fears with the New Orleans Saints (1967-70).
Below are additional notes on Rivera.
California Golden Bears
- Consensus first-team All-American, Lombardi Award finalist, East-West Shrine Game MVP, Pop Warner Award winner as the top senior on the West Coast, and Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1983 when he set a Cal single-season record that still stands today with 26.5 tackles for loss, including 13.0 sacks
- The only Cal player in the decade of the 1980s to earn first-team Associated Press All-American honors, coupling that with first-team honors from Kodak (coaches association), the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and Football News
- Led the Bears in tackles in each of his final three collegiate seasons (1981-83) and finished his career as the school's all-time record-holder with 336 tackles that still rank sixth on Cal's career list
- Ended his career with a then-school-record 47.5 tackles for loss, which still ranks eighth all-time
Washington Commanders Head Coach
- Served as the head coach of the Washington Commanders for four seasons from 2020-23.
- During the 2020 season, Rivera was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) located in a lymph node and detected from a self-care check, continued to coach through his treatments and on January 28, 2021, was declared cancer free
- Selected as the NFC Coach of the Year by the Committee of 101 following the 2020 season in which his team made the playoffs
- Eclipsed 100 total career NFL wins as a head coach (regular and postseason) with a victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 of the 2022 season to becomd the 47th coach overall to accomplish the feat
Carolina Panthers Head Coach
- Served as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons (2010-19), where he led the team to three straight divisional titles )2013-15) and an appearance in Super Bowl 50 to cap the run and the 2015 season
- Was recognized twice as the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press (2013, '15)
- The all-time leader in coaching wins for the Panthers franchise with 83 during the regular season and postseason
- Named NFL Coach of the Year in 2015 for the second time in three seasons as his team earned its third consecutive NFC South title and claimed the top seed in the NFC for the first time in Panthers franchise history
- The Panthers became just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to post a 15-1 or better record in the regular season in 2015, starting the sason with 14 consecutive victories, which combined with four wins to close the 2014 regular season, gave the Panthers an NFC-record 18-game winning streak
- Won the second NFC Championship in Carolina franchise history, third consecutive NFC South division title and appeared in Super Bowl 50 in 2015, while posting a franchise-best 17-2 record, including home playoff victories over Seattle in the divisional round and Arizona in the NFC Championship
- Went 12-4 and won the NFC South in 2013 to give Carolina its first division title since 2008
- Prior to Rivera’s arrival, Carolina had never reached the postseason in consecutive years, and no team had captured the NFC South twice in a row
Climbing The Coaching Ranks
- Rivera worked with the Chargers from 2007-10, starting as the inside linebackers coach before taking over as the team’s defensive coordinator midway through the 2008 season
- From 2004-06, Rivera oversaw the Chicago Bears defense, engineering the unit to two top-five finishes in the league
- Under Rivera’s direction, five different Chicago defensive players went to the Pro Bowl: linebacker Lance Briggs, safety Mike Brown, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, linebacker Brian Urlacher and cornerback Nathan Vasher
- During Rivera’s last season with the Bears in 2006, the defense paced the NFL with 44 takeaways and finished fifth in the league in total defense and third in scoring defense, helping propel Chicago to the NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XLI
- Prior to becoming a defensive coordinator, Rivera spent five seasons from 1999-2003 as the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, who advanced to the NFC Championship in each of his final three seasons
- Gained his first coaching experience with the Bears as a defensive quality control coach from 1997-98
Broadcasting
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Following retirement from his playing career, Rivera went into broadcasting, covering the Chicago Bears and college football as a television analyst for WGN and SportsChannel Chicago for four years from 1993-96
NFL Playing Career
- Selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by Chicago, Rivera played all nine of his professional seasons in Chicago
- A member of six NFC Central Division title teams (1984-88, '90) and a Super Bowl XX championship team in 1985
- Primarily an outside linebacker, he appeared in 149 games with 62 starts (including 12 postseason contests with six starts) and posted 392 tackles, 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, nine interceptions and 15 passes defensed
Giving Back
- Known for both his skill and determination on the field and his dedication of time and energy to the community, Rivera was named the Chicago Bears’ Man of the Year in 1988 and earned the club’s Ed Block Courage Award in 1989
- Has carried that same community commitment to coaching, sponsoring a bowling tournament to benefit the Ronald McDonald House, USO and Humane Society
- A finalist for the 2017 Salute to Service Award, an annual honor presented to NFL players, coaches, personnel and alumni who demonstrate an exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community
- Rivera, who lost his brother Mickey to pancreatic cancer in 2015, also serves as a spokesman for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, twice serving as an honorary starter for the organization’s PurpleStride 5K in Charlotte
Personal
- Born Jan. 7, 1962, in Fort Ord, Calif., and lived in Germany, Panama, Washington and Maryland before his family settled in Marina, Calif.
- Attended Seaside High School in Seaside, Calif., and was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball.
- Rivera and his wife, Stephanie, a fellow Cal alum and former Golden Bears' women's basketball player, have two children, Christopher and Courtney
- Has remained connected to the University of California, along with his family as Builders of Berkeley and consistent supporters of the Cal football, women's basketball, softball and golf programs
