Ex-NFL coach Ron Rivera follows Bill Belichick’s lead, heads back to Cal in ‘GM’ role

Last updated: 2025/02/06 at 12:15 AM

BigP Published February 6, 2025

Ron Rivera is returning to his roots.

The former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers head coach is joining the California Golden Bears, his alma mater, he announced Wednesday.

Rivera will take on a “general manager-like” position, according to CBS Sports.

“Our alum, Ron Rivera is an icon in football for good reason, and I am thrilled to be in discussions with him about the details of joining the Cal team to support and advance the program,” California Chancellor Richard K. Lyons said in a statement.

Rivera played linebacker at California from 1980-83, earning All-American honors and the 1983 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award. He went on to be selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft.

Following a nine-year career with the Bears — and a hiatus from football in-between — Rivera became a defensive quality control coach for the Bears in 1997. Rivera got his first NFL head-coaching gig with the Panthers in 2011. Across eight-plus seasons (2011-19), the Panthers went a combined 76-63-1 in the regular season and 3-4 in the postseason under Rivera, a tenure highlighted by a 15-1 regular season and Super Bowl appearance in 2015.

Shortly after being fired 12 games into the 2019 season, Rivera was named Washington’s new head coach. In four seasons, Washington went 26-40-1 in the regular season under Rivera. The Commanders fired Rivera after the 2023 season.

Rivera didn’t coach in the NFL this season but interviewed for the Bears’ and New York Jets‘ head-coaching positions in the current league hiring cycle.

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As for California, the Golden Bears are coming off a 6-7 season, their first in the ACC. The North Carolina Tar Heels, now coached by Bill Belichick, also reside in the ACC.

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