Berkeley, California – Ron Rivera spent more than three decades in the NFL and had the opportunity to return to the sidelines as an assistant when a more intriguing option came to him.
Rather than enlarging a first NFL coach, Rivera jumped at the opportunity to return to his Alma Mater to help restart the football program in California. Rivera was officially hired as the first director general of the CAL football team after the move was officially approved by the UC regents.
“This is an opportunity to go home and give back,” said Rivera. “The university gave me so much things in my life. It was in a way the launch ramp that brought me in the direction that I made with regard to the game professionally and I ended up being an NFL coach and a total of 36 years involved in the NFL. … I am looking for another challenge, another opportunity.
Rivera will directly report Chancellor Rich Lyon in the newly created role. Football coach Justin Wilcox will continue to present himself to sports director Jim Knowlton, who is also in Lyon.
Rivera said that it would be involved in “all aspects” of the football team to go to training, to work closely with Wilcox and its assistants and to refer to the players, many of whom aim to follow its trajectory at the NFL.
The role of Rivera will also focus on revenue generation, fundraising and commitment with elders and donors to arouse more interest and support for the program.
“These people have been a few years for so many years,” said Rivera. “I know they were hard, skinny years. But what do you know? It’s time to change this. We have the opportunity to change this. But we have to do it together. Just because I’m here.
Rivera is the last high level person to fulfill a role of managing director in university football. Cal’s rival, Stanford, recently hired the former quarter-Arrière Vedette Andrew Luck to be the general manager of the program. Former Director of NFL, Michael Lombardi, has this role in North Carolina under Bill Belichick and former senior director of Bowl, Jim Nagy, was recently hired for this role in Oklahoma.
Lyons said that he had spoken with Knowlton about the need for a managing director for months and had contacted Rivera last December. The decision to hire Rivera is part of an increased commitment to football under Lyon in a school that has not always been fully invested in support.
This has changed since Lyon took over last summer and that he hopes that Rive will help the program to succeed, which led to more commitment with the elders and the donors.
“The commitment of the ancients is so important for the way we conduct our mission. It’s right,” said Lyons. “They send us students, they hire our students, they teach in our lessons, they give guest lectures. Oh, yes and we have just finished a capital campaign of $ 7.3 billion. … It is relevant by mission. It is a level of football.
Wilcox enters his ninth season in charge of the Golden Bears and has a 42-50 career record. Cal went 6-7 last season during his first year in ACC, losing against UNLV in the Bowl.
The Bears have not finished with a record of victories since 2019, did not finish a season classified in the AP survey since 2006 and did not play in a high -level bowl match from the 1959 pink Bowl.
“This is Public Institution N ° 1 in the world,” said Rivera. “We avoid academic excellence. Why can’t we do it athletically? Do it in the right way. This is important. “
Rivera was an assistant All-American in Cal in 1983 before going to the NFL as a draft choice in the second round of the Chicago Bears in 1984. Rivera was part of a winning team from the Super Bowl his second season and had a career as a player of nine years.
Rivera began her coach career in 1997 and was Carolina head coach for nine seasons and Washington for four years. Rivera made a 102-103-2 file in the regular season, winning the prizes of the year’s coach AP NFL in 2013 and 2015 with the panthers.
Rivera made the playoffs five times, with her best season to come in 2015 when Carolina went 15-1 in the regular season and lost the Super Bowl against Denver.
