NFL alum and former head coach Ron Rivera is back home at his college alma mater in a new role.
Rivera was approved last week by the University of California Board of Regents as the first general manager of the football program at Cal-Berkeley. He will report directly to the school’s chancellor.
Rivera earned All-America honors at Cal in 1983 before being selected on the second round of the 1984 Draft by the Chicago Bears. He was a member of the Super Bowl XX Champion team and played in Chicago through 1992.
Rivera coached in the league from 1997 through 2003, including head coaching stints with the Carolina Panthers (2011-19) and Redskins (2020-23). The 63-year-old was out of football last season.
Rivera’s general manager’s position, which reportedly will focus on revenue generation and fundraising, is being paid for through private donations.
“I am fired up to be coming home,” Rivera says. “My love and passion for Cal has never changed, and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of our football program. I look forward to working with Coach Wilcox and all of our staff and players to compete for championships as we move forward in this new and rapidly changing era of college football.”
Head coach Justin Wilcox is the son of the late Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Dave Wilcox.
Rivera now holds the same title that NFL alum Andrew Luck has at rival Stanford University just 40 miles away. Luck was named to the role last November. Earlier this week, he had to make his most visible decision since being hired when he fired head coach Troy Taylor.
We at NFL Alumni wish much success to Ron Rivera, who has been a terrific role model for young coaches and players in the league for many years.
