Cal Athletes' Top 20 TV Commercials: No. 11 Ron Rivera

Rivera is the general manager of Cal football, but his appeal as an NFL head coach made him a good fit for TV ads for USAA and Pepsi

Ron Rivera / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We are ranking the top 20 TV commercials featuring current or former Cal athletes. The rankings are based primarily on the appeal of the ads, but the number of commercials involving a particular Cal athlete is given some weight as well.

Ron Rivera is the general manager of Cal's football program, a new role in the increasingly complicated world of college football. He was an All-America linebacker at Cal in 1983 and played for the 1995 Chicago Bears team that won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season.

But his appeal as a TV commercial personality came as an NFL head coach. He was twice named NFL coach of the year, and his persona as a risk-taker and strong individual made him marketable for TV ads.

No. 11 Ron Rivera

Rivera's father was a military man, and Ron did a bunch of commercials for USAA insurance. Some of those ads can be seen here, here, and here.. And here is an internet spot for USAA regarding a tragic fire to the Rivera home. Stephanie Rivera qualifies for this list as well; she was a member of the Cal women's basketball team.

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However, his most memorable Ron Rivera commercials were TV ads for Pepsi.

In this one, Rivera has a cameo appearance at the end of a Pepsi commercial featuring Luke Kuechly:

But Rivera is the star of this "Icing the Kicker" TV commercial for Pepsi. That commercial can be viewed here.

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