Ron Rivera was named the fourth head coach in Carolina Panthers’ history on Jan. 11, 2011.
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 to 1970.
Rivera has excelled as a coach and player during his 23 years in the NFL, serving as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers’ top-ranked defense in 2010 and playing linebacker for the Chicago Bears’ top-ranked defense and Super Bowl XX championship team in 1985. In 14 seasons as a coach and nine as a player, he has been with teams that have reached the playoffs 16 times, including eight conference championships and two Super Bowls.
Rivera worked with the San Diego Chargers from 2007-10. He coached inside linebackers before taking over as the team’s defensive coordinator midway through the 2008 season.
With Rivera’s guidance, the Chargers pass defense steadied itself – intercepting nine passes and yielding 229.6 passing yards per game and 11 touchdown passes over the final eight games. Those numbers contrasted to the first half of the season when San Diego notched just seven picks and was victimized for 265.1 yards per game and 14 touchdowns through the air.
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.
In his first season as a defensive coordinator in 2004, Rivera presided over a defense that produced nine more takeaways and 17 more sacks than the previous year and scored a franchise record and NFC high six defensive touchdowns. The Bears also thrived on third down and buckled down inside their own 20-yard line, ranking first in the NFL in third- down efficiency (30.5%) and topping the NFC in red zone defense (42.6%).
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. Twice during Rivera’s tenure with the Eagles, the team finished second in the NFL in scoring defense and in 2001 held all 16 of its opponents to less than 21 points – making them just the fourth team in NFL history to do so.
While with Philadelphia, Rivera helped develop linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. In his first year as a starter in 1999, Trotter posted a team-high 202 tackles and subsequently earned Pro Bowl honors in 2000 and 2001. In Rivera’s five seasons with the Eagles, a member of his linebacking corps led the team in tackles four times.
Rivera gained his first coaching experience with the Bears as defensive quality control coach from 1997- 98.
Following his playing career, Rivera went into broadcasting. He covered the Bears and college football as a television analyst for WGN and SportsChannel Chicago for four years from 1993-96.
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, 7.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four 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.
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.
An All-American at the University of California, Rivera finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in sacks with 22 and tackles with 336. As a senior in 1983, he set the Bears’ single-season record for sacks with 13 and tackles for loss with 26.5.
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 Marina and was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball.
Rivera and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, Christopher and Courtney. Stephanie is a former assistant coach for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
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