Ron Rivera announced as general manager of Cal football program

Chancellor Rich Lyons announced today (Thursday, March 20) that UC Berkeley will be hiring Ron Rivera, a former All-American linebacker at Cal who went on to play and coach in the NFL, as general manager of the California Golden Bears football program.

In the newly-created position, which will be fully funded by private philanthropy, Rivera will work to generate new revenue and fundraising opportunities for the team while lending his leadership and expertise, both on and off the field. Rivera will report to Lyons, while head coach Justin Wilcox will continue to report to Jim Knowlton, Cal’s director of athletics, who also reports to Lyons.

“I am fired up to be coming home,” Rivera said in a press release. “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 Chancellor Lyons as we look to Jim Knowlton, Justin 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.”

“The football program is an indispensable part of our university and our community,” Lyons said. “And so we are taking the steps necessary so that the team can excel in the changed landscape of intercollegiate athletics. The combination of Ron’s incredible football acumen and his powerful dedication to his alma mater makes him a perfect fit for this new role. It is an unprecedented opportunity to achieve the excellence I know our program is capable of.”

Rivera played linebacker for the Golden Bears from 1980 to 1983 before being drafted by the Chicago Bears. He went on to play for nine seasons with the team, including as part of its 1985 Super Bowl win. He was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

After his playing career, Rivera went on to spend 27 years coaching in the NFL, including a combined 12 years as a head coach for the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Commanders. He led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015 and was named NFL Coach of the Year twice with the team. 

Rivera is the latest in a number of general managers to join college football programs, aiming to assist head coaches in an evolving landscape marked by new rules regarding student-athlete compensation, highly active transfer portals and other complexities. 

“Chancellor Lyons and I have been discussing the potential for this role for quite some time, and to be able to fill this role with someone like Ron Rivera is beyond exciting,” Knowlton said. “Not only does Ron understand football and the increasingly complicated landscape of intercollegiate athletics, he is fully committed to the ideals of the Cal student-athlete. This is a huge moment in time for our football program.”

Rivera has maintained strong connections to UC Berkeley in the years since he played for the Golden Bears, and he and his wife Stephanie have consistently supported the university’s football, women’s basketball, softball and golf programs. Stephanie Rivera played basketball at Cal and is a UC Berkeley Foundation Trustee and California Legends Collective board member. Both Stephanie and Ron are recognized as Builders of Berkeley, a roster of leading university benefactors whose personal giving totals $1 million or more.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Ron Rivera to this role,” Wilcox said. “Ron has a passion for Cal football and loves this university. To have him help guide our program forward during these fast-changing times will be critical to our success.”