Ron Rivera, a former consensus All-American for the Golden Bears, enters his first season as the general manager of the California football program in 2025.
In this newly created role, Rivera will report to UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons and have complete oversight of the football program. The General Manager will also 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 27 seasons as a coach and nine as a player, he has been with teams that have reached the playoffs 19 times, including nine conference championships and three Super Bowls.
At Cal, Rivera was named a consensus All-America linebacker after his senior year in 1983. He set a school record with 26.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage that season, including 13 sacks. He ended his career with 337 tackles, including 188 unassisted stops and was the only Cal player in the decade of the 1980s to earn first-team Associated Press honors, coupling that with first-team honors from Kodak (coaches association), the Football Writers, Sporting News and Football News. He was also named the Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and won the Pop Warner Award for top senior on the West Coast his senior year.
He led the Bears in tackles three times and ended his career with 47.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, a school record which still ranks high all-time.
Rivera was later inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.
Washington Commanders Head Coach
-
Before his return to Berkeley, Rivera served as the head coach of the Washington Commanders 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. Rivera continued to coach through his treatments and on January 28, 2021, he was declared cancer free.
-
That season, Rivera was selected as the NFC Coach of the Year by the Committee of 101 following the 2020 season.
-
During the 2022 season, Rivera eclipsed 100 total career wins (regular and postseason) with a victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12. He became the 47th coach overall to accomplish the feat.
Carolina Panthers Head Coach
-
Prior to Washington, he served as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons, where he led the team to three straight divisional titles and an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
-
Rivera was also recognized twice as the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2013 and in 2015 and is the all-time leader in wins for the Panthers franchise.
-
In 2015, Rivera was named NFL Coach of the Year 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. Carolina started 2015 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. Carolina won its second NFC Championship in franchise history, third consecutive NFC South division title and appeared in Super Bowl 50. Carolina finished the season with a franchise-best 17-2 record, including home playoff victories over Seattle in the divisional round and Arizona in the NFC Championship game.
-
Rivera’s Panthers went 12-4 and won the NFC South in 2013, Carolina’s 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 Ranks
-
Rivera worked with the Chargers from 2007-10.
-
He coached inside linebackers 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 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 game in each of his final three seasons.
-
Rivera gained his first coaching experience with the Bears as a defensive quality control coach from 1997-98.
-
He is just the third Latino head coach in NFL history, joining Tom Flores with the Oakland Raiders from 1979-87 and Seattle Seahawks from 1992-94 and Tom Fears with the New Orleans Saints from 1967-70.
Prior to Coaching
NFL Playing Career
-
Selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by Chicago, Rivera played all nine of his pro seasons with the Bears. 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.
-
Rivera was a member of six NFC Central division title teams and a Super Bowl XX championship team in 1985.
Giving Back
-
As a player, Rivera was known for both his skill and determination on the field and his dedication of time and energy to the community. As a result, he was named the Bears’ Man of the Year in 1988 and earned the club’s Ed Block Courage Award in 1989.
-
He has carried that same community commitment to coaching, sponsoring a bowling tournament to benefit the Ronald McDonald House, USO and Humane Society.
-
He was a finalist for the 2017 Salute to Service Award, an annual award 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.
-
He has twice been the honorary starter for the organization’s PurpleStride 5K in Charlotte.
Personal
-
Born Jan. 7, 1962, in Fort Ord, Calif., Rivera lived in Germany, Panama, Washington and Maryland before his family settled in Marina, Calif.
-
He attended Seaside High School in Seaside, Calif., and was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball.
-
Rivera and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, Christopher and Courtney.
