Ronald Eugene Rivera (born January 7, 1962) is an American professional football coach who serves as an analyst for the California Golden Bears.

He played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears and was a member of their 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX.

Rivera was fired near the end of the 2019 season due to new owner David Tepper wanting change and became Washington's head coach in 2020.

[5] 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.

[6][7] 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.

[12] In 2005, the Bears defense was rated second in the league by total yardage, with the team winning the NFC North division with a record of 11–5 before losing in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Carolina Panthers.

[15] 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,[16] the defense's success earned Rivera recognition among franchises looking for new head coaches.

[18][19][20] 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.

[26] During the early part of the 2013 season, Rivera was given the nickname of "Riverboat Ron" by fans and the media after taking several risky decisions, something previously not attributed to him.

[29] Rivera was also known as "Chico" during his playing time with the Chicago Bears, a common practice that the team had under head coach Mike Ditka.

[30] Rivera received the nickname from defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who reminded him of actor Freddie Prinze from the television series Chico and the Man.

[32] They defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27–16 in the Wild Card Round for the team's first playoff win since 2005 before falling to the eventual NFC champion Seattle Seahawks on the road 31–17 the following week.

The team's momentum would continue in 2015, as the Panthers produced their best season in franchise history by finishing 15–1, with their only loss being against the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 16.

[42] Rivera finished his career with the Panthers with four playoff appearances and a total record of 79–67–1, both of which rank first all-time in team history.

[45][46] At his introductory press conference, Rivera stated that he was convinced that the team was the right fit for him after having meetings with former Washington owner Daniel Snyder and former head coach Joe Gibbs, which started almost immediately after he was fired from the Panthers.

Rivera replaced Scott Turner with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in 2023, additionally giving him the title of assistant head coach.

[12][74] Stephanie, a Filipino American, was a point guard for the Golden Bears women's basketball team in the early 1980s and later served as a coach for the sport, most notably as an assistant for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2000.

[77] Courtney played for the UCLA Bruins softball team in the early 2010s and has worked as a social media producer under Rivera in Carolina and Washington.

[80] Rivera's idol while growing up was Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to victims of the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake.

[7] On January 5, 2015, his home in Charlotte, North Carolina caught fire and was partially damaged, but Rivera and his family escaped without injury.

[87] Although Rivera missed only a total of three practices,[88] he lost over 30 pounds and had to receive intravenous therapy during halftime of some games to relieve fatigue.