Sports is all about winning. But Ron Rivera takes his job as head coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers seriously, and he’s bringing a little something from his old player Michael Jordan’s playbook with him.
When San Diego Chargers head coach Ron Rivera was asked to share a Michael Jordan story with the San Diego Chargers, he responded in the only way he knew how: with a story about how Michael Jordan taught him how to play the game.
Sen. Ron Rivera of the San Antonio Spurs once played with the Washington Wizards and shared a lesson with them about leadership. “I’m not sure anyone would believe this,” he said. “I was talking to a coach on the phone one night. I told him that I was going to go to the Whiz Kids game.”. Read more about ron rivera and let us know what you think.
Coach Ron Rivera is a professional baseball player. will have something other than football on his mind when the Washington Football Team visits the New England Patriots on Aug. 12 to begin their preseason campaign. He’ll be assessing his squad in particular while recalling what basketball legend Michael Jordan said to him decades ago.
Rivera returns to Washington for his second season after guiding the team to an unexpected division victory in 2020. With a 7–9 record, WFT became the third team to win a division. In the NFC Wild-Card Game, Washington gave the eventual Super Bowl winner Tampa Bay Buccaneers all they wanted, but lost 31–23.
During his eight-plus seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Rivera made a name for himself for his outlandish behavior. Over the course of the upcoming 17-game season, Washington will rely on its inventiveness to remain ahead of the NFC East pack.
Ron Rivera was stuck until he begged for assistance.
Ron Rivera’s Panthers were stuck on the mediocrity treadmill early in his career. Carolina finished 6–10 in Rivera’s first season and improved to 7–9 the next year. Worse, the Panthers were losing games that were close. Rivera’s first two years saw him lose 13 of his 19 games by six points or less.
Rivera’s viewpoint was changed after a discussion with Hall of Fame coach John Madden. Madden’s counsel and a vehicle accident, to be precise. After three consecutive NFC South championships and a Super Bowl participation after the 2015 season, “Riverboat Ron” was created. That season, the Panthers went 15–1 for the first time in club history.
Rivera spent 14 years as an NFL assistant coach before becoming the Panthers’ head coach in 2011. He even has a riverboat swagger when it comes to coaching difficulties. When Rivera threw the red flag in 2020, he had the highest winning % in the NFL. Rivera’s seven appeals resulted in four calls being overturned.
It’s understandable that Rivera would seek advice from someone outside of his profession, such as basketball great Michael Jordan.
Rivera’s career in Chicago coincided with Michael Jordan’s.
Michael Jordan (L) said something to former Chicago Bears linebacker Ron Rivera (R) years ago that Rivera, who is now the head coach of the Washington Football Team, still remembers. | Getty Images/Focus on Sport Getty Images/Berstein Associates
The Chicago Bears selected Ron Rivera in the second round of the 1984 draft, and he spent his whole nine-year career with the team. When Chicago won the Super Bowl following the 1985 season, he was a rotational linebacker and special-teams player. Rivera became the first player of Puerto Rican ancestry to earn a Super Bowl ring as a result of this.
In the same year that Rivera came in Chicago, another well-known rookie landed on the lakefront. Michael Jordan made his professional basketball debut with the Chicago Bulls. Rivera spent his whole playing career in Chicago at the same time as Jordan. Jordan was still with the Bulls when Rivera returned to the Bears as an assistant coach in 1997.
According to NBC Sports Washington, Rivera dropped an unexpected name in football circles when speaking to media before of Washington’s preseason game. Rivera said that he was looking for a continuous effort and attention to detail. Then he threw it away.
“When it gets to game speed, that type of tempo, that’s when you start to see certain people doing certain things. It’s funny because Michael Jordan told me this once, when we were back in Chicago, a long time ago. ‘When it comes down to crunch time, you see who comes to the ball hard and who doesn’t appear to come off that pick as hard as they should,’ he used to remark.
“It’s simply fascinating.” So, when we play games like this, we really pay attention to those details, and it informs us.”
Ron Rivera
Rivera and Jordan’s common history made being a Chicago sports fan a lot of fun.
Michael Jordan had six championships to Ron Rivera’s one, but they were all won during a unique period in Chicago.
The Windy City went through a long dry period after the Chicago Bears won the 1963 NFL Championship. The Cubs and White Sox combined for two postseason appearances before the Bears won the Super Bowl in January 1986. The Bulls made it to two conference finals but couldn’t go any farther. Only once in those 23 seasons did the Blackhawks miss the playoffs, but they only had three defeats in the Stanley Cup Final to show for it.
With Michael Jordan’s entrance with the Bulls, a dynasty was born. The Bears enjoyed one of the best seasons in franchise history. In 1985, they outscored opponents by more than 16 points per game and became stronger in the playoffs. The Chicago Bears outscored the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and New England Patriots by a total 91–10 in three games.
From 1985 until 1998, Ron Rivera was a member of the championship squad, one of seven for Chicago’s sports teams. As a result, it is considered one of the most adorned periods in the city’s history.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
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