Ron Rivera Ready to `Give Back' to Cal as Football's New GM

Chancellor Rich Lyons called the hire part of `leveling up the importance of football at Cal'

Ron Rivera / Photo by Jeff Faraudo

Ron Rivera, officially hired Thursday as general manager of the Cal football program, called it “an opportunity to come home and give back.”

Chancellor Rich Lyons, celebrating the UC Regents giving the move formal approval earlier in the day Thursday, said the hire is the latest step in “leveling up the importance of football at Cal.”

Rivera, 63, a former All-America linebacker for the Bears, an NFL veteran and a head coach for 13 years in the pros who took a team to the Super Bowl, called the university “the launching pad” to his career.

He said he recently had an opportunity to remain in the NFL and mentor young players as an assistant head coach. Instead, he and his wife Stephanie, a former women’s basketball player at Cal, decided the chance to serve in that role in a broad fashion at their alma mater was a perfect fit.

“For me . . . it’s about helping the university grow,” he said.

Rivera’s duties will include working with alumni and donors to help generate the revenue needed to compete in the changing world of collegiate athletics, where universities will be able to directly pay players beginning next fall, pending  court settlement this spring of a House bill.

“What the chancellor has done is made an investment,” said Rivera, whose position will be funded by private philanthropy, according to the university. “Not an expense but an investment to bring somebody in to reach out to the alumni, reach out to the donor group and build that relationship, a relationship that’s going to transcend athletics . . . to affect the university itself.”

Lyons, the school’s first alum to serve as chancellor, called Rivera “a connector . . . a consummate team player.”

They began talking in December, and Lyons said, “The place is really deep in me and I got the sense as I got closer to him that, boy, is it deep in him.”

Rivera will report directly to the chancellor while head coach Justin Wilcox continues to work under athletic director Jim Knowlton. 

Knowlton expects Rivera’s return to have substantial impact.

“Just listening to Ron gets everybody fired up,” Knowlton said. “He’s already been a great partner and teammate for many, many years. This is just a continuation of that with all be brings to the table.”

Rivera said his assignment is more than as a high-level fund-raiser. He’s excited about the prospect of working on a regular basis with Wilcox, his assistant coaches and Cal’s players.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

“For the most part I’ll be involved with the football team, every aspect of it,” he said. “The best part is getting an opportunity to work with Justin, talk to Justin, explain to Justin things from my point of view, from a different perspective, something he probably hasn’t heard. This will be different and an opportunity for him to grow.”

While acknowledging this GM role is somewhat different than it would be in the NFL, Rivera said “there’s going to be some overlap” in terms of his duties and reach. He compared the chancellor to “dealing with an NFL owner.”

On Wilcox, Rivera said, “I do like who he is. I think he’s done some really good things.”

He later expanded on those thoughts, saying, “He’s done a tremendous job. . . . He’s really had to fight a battle because we’ve been limited with resources.”

Wilcox, beginning his ninth season at the helm, has a win-loss record of 42-50. The Bears have played in four bowl games under Wilcox, including the past two seasons, but have not finished with a winning record since going 8-5 in 2019.

“We’ve got to be successful — that’s the bottom line,” Rivera said.

Rivera thinks the program is close and has pieces in place to create real success. “They were nine points away (from winning) in four games. Total,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s about productivity. You do have to win. But I do like what I’ve seen.”

He said player retention is critical so creating “a war chest” to convince players not to enter the transfer portal will be one of his first assignments.

Cal packed in the the fans for ESPN's Game Day / Photo by Jeff Faraudo

That will require the kind of commitment and excitement Rivera saw when Cal fans — including alums, faculty and students — jammed the Memorial Glade on campus before sunrise for ESPN’s Oct. 5 Game Day program prior to that evening’s matchup vs. Miami.

“That was a tremendous show of force of what we’re capable of. It’s out there — they want it. This campus is ready,” Rivera said. “This is the No. 1 public institution in the world. We exude excellence academically. Why can’t we do it athletically?

“That whole day rocked, with the exception of the last 30 minutes,” he said, referring to the Hurricanes rallying from a 35-10 deficit to escape a sold out Memorial Stadium with a 39-38 victory.

Lyons said excitement is growing on all fronts related to Cal athletics. The university received a major philanthropic gift earlier this academic year that will fully fund the men’s and women’s golf programs. He said donors are ready to commit to do the same for four other existing teams.

“This tide is rising and we’re already feeling it,” he said.

Lyons called Rivera’s hiring “an investment in excellence.” That includes the development of student-athletes, generating more resources for athletics and the campus at large, and creating excellence on the field.

“We have to deliver the performance and we absolutely believe we can, but we will all be watching.”