Ronald Eugene Rivera (born January 7, 1962) is an American professional football executive and former linebacker and coach who is the general manager for the University of California–Berkeley, his alma mater. He played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and was a member of their 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX. Rivera later served as the head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and Washington Football Team / Commanders, earning two NFL Coach of the Year awards with the former.
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.
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.
Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2003)
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 efforts that year, Rivera was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association. In 2006, the Bears had the league's third-ranked defense in terms of points allowed, which helped them advance to Super Bowl XLI. Although the Bears lost to the Indianapolis Colts 29–17, the defense's success earned Rivera recognition among franchises looking for new head coaches.
In February 2007, it was announced that Rivera's contract with the Bears would not be extended due to failed negotiations. Around the same time, he interviewed for several vacant head coaching positions around the league, including with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.
San Diego Chargers (2007–2010)
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, Rivera was hired to become the fourth head coach of the Carolina Panthers. He was the third Latino in NFL history to become a head coach, following Tom Fears and Tom Flores. During his first year, the Panthers went 6–10 and finished third in the NFC South.
In 2012, the Panthers finished 7–9 and finished second in the NFC South. During his first two years with the Panthers, Rivera was known for his conservative decision-making, with journalists noting his record of 2–14 record in games decided by less than a touchdown.