Ron Rivera

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Lore & Background

Rivera played college football for the Golden Bears, earning consensus All-American honors in 1983. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft. Rivera began his coaching career in 1997, serving as the defensive quality control coach for the Bears. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a linebackers coach two years later before rejoining the Bears as their defensive coordinator in 2004. The following year, Rivera was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the PFWA and helped coach linebacker Brian Urlacher into being named Defensive Player of the Year. After the Bears made an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, he joined the San Diego Chargers as their linebackers coach in 2007 before being promoted to defensive coordinator a year later. After three years with the Chargers, Rivera was hired as head coach for the Panthers. He led them to an appearance in Super Bowl 50 and became their all-time leader in wins. Rivera was fired near the end of the 2019 season and became Washington's head coach in 2020. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma the same year but was considered cancer free by early 2021. 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. He was fired by Washington after the 2023 season and worked as an analyst for NFL Live before rejoining the Golden Bears in an administrative role in 2025.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed during Super Bowl 50, casting long shadows across the gridiron. Rivera stood on the sideline, headset pressed to his ear, eyes scanning the field with decades of experience. It was the first Super Bowl in which both head coaches—Rivera and the Broncos' Gary Kubiak—had previously played in a Super Bowl. The Panthers lost 24–10, but the journey there defined an era. Rivera had taken a team that started 1–3 in 2013 and turned it into an 11–1 finisher, earning his first Coach of the Year award. By 2015, the Panthers went 15–1, the best record in franchise history, and Rivera was named Coach of the Year again. Every call mattered, every play counted toward a legacy that began when he first put on a Bears uniform years prior.

Reader's Guide

Rivera was born on January 7, 1962, in Fort Ord, California. His father, Eugenio, was a Puerto Rican commissioned officer in the US Army stationed in California. There, Eugenio met his future wife, Dolores, who is of Mexican and Filipino descent. The family moved often due to Eugenio's military service, with Rivera being educated on bases in Germany, Panama, and Washington, D.C. The family eventually settled in Marina, California, where he played football at Seaside High School before graduating in 1980. 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. As a senior, Rivera received several awards and honors for his performance, including being named a consensus All-American, Pac-10 Football Defensive Player of the Year along with Arizona linebacker Ricky Hunley, the Pop Warner Trophy, and was named MVP of the East–West Shrine Game. 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, Rivera became the first American of Puerto Rican descent to win a Super Bowl when the Bears defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Rivera was named the team's Man of the Year in 1988 and was named their Ed Block Courage Award recipient the following year. Rivera played in nine seasons before retiring after the 1992 season, recording 392 tackles, 7.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and nine interceptions in 137 games and 62 starts. In 1993, Rivera went to work for WGN-TV and SportsChannel Chicago as a television analyst covering the Bears and college football. Four years later, he joined the Bears as a defensive quality control coach. In 1999, Rivera was named linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles under newly hired head coach Andy Reid. During his tenure, the Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game for three consecutive seasons. Rivera also was credited with developing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter into a two-time All-Pro. Rivera was named defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears on January 23, 2004. In 2005, the Bears defense was rated second in the league by total yardage, with the team winning the NFC North division with an 11–5 record before losing in the Divisional Round to the Carolina Panthers. For his effo

Did You Know?

• 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.
• He was given the nickname 'Riverboat Ron' after taking risky decisions during the 2013 season.
• Rivera was the first American of Puerto Rican descent to win a Super Bowl as a player, with the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.