45 Facts About Ron Rivera

Ronald Eugene Rivera was born on January 7,1962 and is an American professional football executive and former player and coach who is the general manager for the California Golden Bears.

Ron Rivera played nine seasons in the National Football League as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears and was a member of their 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX.

Ron Rivera played college football for the Golden Bears, earning consensus All-American honors in 1983.

Ron Rivera was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft.

Ron Rivera's coaching career began in 1997 when he served as a quality control coach for the Bears.

Ron Rivera joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a linebackers coach two years later before rejoining the Bears as their defensive coordinator in 2004.

Ron Rivera led the Panthers to an appearance in Super Bowl 50 and became their all-time leader in wins.

Ron Rivera was fired near the end of the 2019 season and became Washington's head coach in 2020.

Ron Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma the same year but was considered cancer free by early 2021.

Ron Rivera is the only coach in NFL history to have led a team with a losing record to the playoffs more than once, doing so with Carolina in 2014 and Washington in 2020.

Ron Rivera was fired by Washington after the 2023 season and worked as an analyst for NFL Live before re-joining the Golden Bears in an administrative role in 2025.

Ron Rivera was born on January 7,1962, in Fort Ord, California.

Ron Rivera's father, Eugenio Rivera, was a Puerto Rican commissioned officer in the US Army stationed in California.

The family moved often due to Eugenio's military service, with Ron Rivera being educated on bases in Germany, Panama, and Washington, DC The family eventually settled in Marina, California, where he played football at Seaside High School before graduating in 1980.

Ron Rivera was granted a football scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley, where he led the Golden Bears in tackles as a linebacker during his three years there.

Ron Rivera was selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, playing for them as a rotational linebacker and special teamer.

In 1985, Ron Rivera became the first American of Puerto Rican descent to win a Super Bowl, as the Bears defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Ron Rivera was named the team's Man of the Year in 1988 and was named their Ed Block Courage Award recipient the following year.

Ron Rivera played in nine seasons before retiring after the 1992 season, playing in 137 games with 62 starts, 392 tackles, 7.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and nine interceptions.

In 1993, Ron Rivera went to work for WGN-TV and SportsChannel Chicago as a television analyst covering the Bears and college football.

In 1999, Ron Rivera was named linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles under newly hired head coach Andy Reid.

Ron Rivera was credited with developing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter into a two-time All-Pro.

Ron Rivera was named defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears on January 23,2004.

Ron Rivera was hired by the San Diego Chargers to become their inside linebackers coach in February 2007 and was promoted to defensive coordinator after the team fired Ted Cottrell in October 2008.

On January 11,2011, Ron Rivera was hired to become the fourth head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Ron Rivera was the third Latino in NFL history to become a head coach, following Tom Fears and Tom Flores.

The name was inspired after 19th century frontier gamblers, with Rivera later embracing it for use on his social media profiles.

Ron Rivera was known as "Chico" during his playing time with the Chicago Bears, a common practice that the team had under head coach Mike Ditka.

Ron Rivera received the nickname from defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who reminded him of actor Freddie Prinze from the television series Chico and the Man.

Ron Rivera was recognized as the 2015 AP NFL Coach of the Year, his second such honor.

Ron Rivera signed a two-year contract extension worth 15.5 million in January 2018.

On January 1,2020, Ron Rivera was hired to become the 30th head coach of the Washington Football Team, known as the Redskins at his time of hiring.

At his introductory press conference, Ron Rivera stated that he was convinced that the team was the right fit for him after having meetings with former Washington owner Daniel Snyder and former head coach Joe Gibbs, which started almost immediately after he was fired from the Panthers.

Ron Rivera hired several former assistant coaches that worked under him with the Panthers, assigning Scott Turner, the son of Norv Turner, as offensive coordinator and former Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator.

Ron Rivera was granted considerable authority over roster personnel, with him acting as the team's de facto general manager until the team hired Martin Mayhew for the role in 2021.

Ron Rivera replaced Scott Turner with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in 2023, additionally giving him the title of assistant head coach.

On March 20,2025, Ron Rivera was announced as the general manager of his alma mater, California, with oversight over their budget and football staff.

Ron Rivera is Catholic and has three brothers: Steven, Mickey, and John.

Ron Rivera is married to Stephanie, whom he met while at Cal in August 1983.

Ron Rivera was inducted into the California Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

Ron Rivera held a charity yard sale there after his hiring as Washington head coach in 2020, with various Panthers apparel and merchandise up for sale that raised more than 30,000 for the humane society of Charlotte.

Ron Rivera has a family history with cancer; his father Eugenio was diagnosed with it while his brother Mickey died from pancreatic cancer in 2015 and his mother Dolores from lung cancer in 2022.

Ron Rivera underwent a seven-week treatment regimen that included 35 proton therapy appointments and three cycles of chemotherapy.

Ron Rivera was later awarded the 2022 George Halas Award by the Pro Football Writers of America for the adversity he dealt with.

In 2024, Ron Rivera worked as an analyst for NFL Live on ESPN and select games for Westwood One.