Ron Rivera Question

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Bearly Clad
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9:42a, 12/16/23
With reports today confirming that Ron is likely looking for work this offseason do y'all think he's qualified to be AD? I know it's different from being just a coach and he won't have experience with a lot of other sports but some of the best ADs in CFB history have been former coaches. Ron also took a strong administrative role in the Washington franchise during the debacle of the late-Snyder years and the transition to current ownership group.

It's clear that Wilcox is entrenched and unless we backslide the next few years while his buyout becomes more manageable then he's not going anywhere.

I could see a lot of merit in having a guy like Riverboat Ron in the AD office who appreciates the importance of prioritizing revenue sports, understands Cal history and greatness, wouldn't neglect other sport programs, would have terrific cachet for donor outreach, and knows that Cal has specific challenges to overcome with the UC system, Cal faculty, and city of Berkeley often working against us.

So do you think Ron would have what it takes to do the job well and do you think he'd want it? We need to move on from Knowlton asap regardless but Ron seems like he'd be a great candidate to run the department imo
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Marty
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In reply to Bearly Clad • 11:29a, 12/16/23
Intriguing idea. I think he's definitely worth talking to if he has any interest. Being a head coach in the NFL requires the person not only to coach, but to act in some areas of the franchise as a CEO, depending on the franchise. I suspect that Rivera was compelled to do a great deal of behind the scenes management, given the ineptitude of Daniel Snyder, and that he's adept at juggling some hot potatoes not of his own making while keeping his eyes on the road. If he's qualified and interested, I believe it would be worth a shot. He'd be a real asset as a football recruiter, and let's face it, how much worse could any viable candidate be than our current AD?
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maxer
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In reply to Marty • 11:43a, 12/16/23
Marty said:
Intriguing idea. I think he's definitely worth talking to if he has any interest. Being a head coach in the NFL requires the person not only to coach, but to act in some areas of the franchise as a CEO, depending on the franchise. I suspect that Rivera was compelled to do a great deal of behind the scenes management, given the ineptitude of Daniel Snyder, and that he's adept at juggling some hot potatoes not of his own making while keeping his eyes on the road. If he's qualified and interested, I believe it would be worth a shot. He'd be a real asset as a football recruiter, and let's face it, how much worse could any viable candidate be than our current AD?
I have said this before -- I will say it again. I'm sure that what you say above is true. It has very little to do with being the Athletic Director at a large university (specifically, there is a TON of budgeting and politics, particularly with non-sports people, that an NFL head coach would have zero exposure to).

I would like to find someone with the right attitude and experience to be our next AD -- I think that setting the bar at "better than Jim Knowlton" is unacceptably low.

This is no knock on Ron Rivera btw -- I think he's terrific. I'm sure he would be the first to agree with the above.
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Bearly Clad
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In reply to maxer • 12:05p, 12/16/23
That's fair but there's also been lots of coaches to make the leap to AD, recently there's been guys like Barry Alvarez, Chris Del Conte, Jeff Long, Doug Dickey, and lots more. There's a ton of examples but I was just going off the top of my head, I feel like a very high percentage of ADs were a coach at one point in their career.

There's lots of financial stuff that they may not be incredibly knowledgeable about initially but there's assistant ADs and support staff to advise them on that. It's like how most CEOs don't do the accounting work themselves they have to lead and take care of the big picture. I think Ron would be great at absorbing the information and making good decisions for the future of football and other programs
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maxer
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In reply to Bearly Clad • 12:06p, 12/16/23
Bearly Clad said:
That's fair but there's also been lots of coaches to make the leap to AD, recently there's been guys like Barry Alvarez, Chris Del Conte, Jeff Long, Doug Dickey, and lots more. There's a ton of examples but I was just going off the top of my head, I feel like a very high percentage of ADs were a coach at one point in their career.

There's lots of financial stuff that they may not be incredibly knowledgeable about initially but there's assistant ADs and support staff to advise them on that. It's like how most CEOs don't do the accounting work themselves they have to lead and take care of the big picture. I think Ron would be great at absorbing the information and making good decisions for the future of football and other programs
You may be right - i'd just love to hire someone who is the best at being an AD, and not train one on the job. I think that's part of the commitment to football and sports that the University needs to make if they're going to really be committed to this.
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bearsandgiants
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12:44p, 12/16/23
If he's gone from the NFL realm, we've got to find a way to get him involved here at least in some fashion. Would be silly not to.
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calumnus
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12:56p, 12/16/23
Due to the poor leadership of Christ and Knowlton in this critical era of college athletics, the next AD is going to have to make some tough choices. I don't wish that upon Ron, who has been very generous to the university. Moreover, our best option will be someone very creative, who has a vision for Cal athletics over the next 20 years. I don't think that is Ron.

Ron would be great as the Cal head football coach. Moreover, if anyone thinks Rivera would accept an AD salary (Knowlton gets $1.3 million) why wouldn't he accept that as HC, at least until the $20 million remaining on Wilcox's salary is paid off?
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01Bear
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10:55p, 12/16/23
IIRC, there was a forum member and Cal alumna who began a career in athletics administration at sine other school many years back. Does anyone remember her name? I wonder if she would be a good hire as Cal's next AD.
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westcoast101
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11:04p, 12/16/23
I would take Ron Rivera as our head coach in a heartbeat.
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movielover
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In reply to Bearly Clad • 12:22a, 12/17/23
Chris Ault excelled at both at Nevada.
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okaydo
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2:48a, 12/17/23
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.
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Northside91
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In reply to okaydo • 4:37a, 12/17/23
Post deleted for "why bother?"-type reasons.
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PtownBear1
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In reply to okaydo • 7:45a, 12/17/23
okaydo said:
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.


I'm of the opinion that we already have disasters in both positions and Rivera would be an improvement over the status quo, but wouldn't be a good fit or particularly successful at either. It would be great if he became involved with Cal athletics in some sort of official capacity though. Maybe football analyst or as a board of director or something.
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Rushinbear
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11:55a, 12/17/23
no new ad til new chanc. and pray we get one who is cfb savvy.

i don't think christ is stupid enough to fire jk now and he ain't resigning.

i'll bet each chanc. candidate has an ad candidate or two in mind, should he get the nod. in fact, they're likely to be asked that question in the first interview.
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Bear Naked Ladies
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12:24p, 12/17/23
Instead of always looking for a beloved Cal alumni to shoehorn into an important position, maybe Cal should do something radiCal and very un-Cal like. If the idea behind all the guys driving the NLI bus is that Cal needs to get serious about the revenue sports, then why don't you look to hire....I don't know.....someone with actual Athletic Director experience who has excelled in the position at another school? And then pay them whatever the market bears for someone like that.

Note the word "excel", which eliminates the Jim Knowltons of the world.

A big reason why there is no Pac 10 Conference anymore is that when Cal finally had the chance to remove the small thinking Tom Hansen, the conference presidents got cute and hired two guys who had zero experience doing the job they were hired to do and then predictably, they wasted money on all the wrong stuff and failed to do the job for which they were hired.

Stop being cute and just hire someone who has shown they know what they are doing.
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calumnus
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In reply to Bear Naked Ladies • 12:56p, 12/17/23
Bear Naked Ladies said:
Instead of always looking for a beloved Cal alumni to shoehorn into an important position, maybe Cal should do something radiCal and very un-Cal like. If the idea behind all the guys driving the NLI bus is that Cal needs to get serious about the revenue sports, then why don't you look to hire....I don't know.....someone with actual Athletic Director experience who has excelled in the position at another school? And then pay them whatever the market bears for someone like that.

Note the word "excel", which eliminates the Jim Knowltons of the world.

A big reason why there is no Pac 10 Conference anymore is that when Cal finally had the chance to remove the small thinking Tom Hansen, the conference presidents got cute and hired two guys who had zero experience doing the job they were hired to do and then predictably, they wasted money on all the wrong stuff and failed to do the job for which they were hired.

Stop being cute and just hire someone who has shown they know what they are doing.


There are a few ADs at other schools that seem pretty good. Pat Chun at WSU is someone who has impressed me.

However, I think we need to recognize that the landscape of college athletics, especially college football is changing so rapidly that someone with a lot of experience in the old paradigm is not necessarily going to be successful adapting to the new paradigm. This is no longer a "college administrator" job. The old ways won't work anymore. We need someone really smart with business savvy, marketing skills, vision and creativity. Plus a great understanding of Cal's comparative advantages. We need to recognize that college football and basketball are now professional sports. Thus I think the best candidates are going to be Cal alums who are executives (not coaches) from the professional sports world, of which there are many. We don't have the luxury of following the pack, we need to get ahead of the curve. We need to be innovative. We need to draw on the things that have always made our students and alumni great in spite of an often backwards administration.

That is why I have been advocating for outsourcing the management of the revenue sports to an alumni-run non-profit (profits donated to the university) organization (with voting shares based on contributions) that would treat them like a business while also preserving and rekindling our game day traditions.
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Bear Naked Ladies
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In reply to calumnus • 1:09p, 12/17/23
calumnus said:
Bear Naked Ladies said:
Instead of always looking for a beloved Cal alumni to shoehorn into an important position, maybe Cal should do something radiCal and very un-Cal like. If the idea behind all the guys driving the NLI bus is that Cal needs to get serious about the revenue sports, then why don't you look to hire....I don't know.....someone with actual Athletic Director experience who has excelled in the position at another school? And then pay them whatever the market bears for someone like that.

Note the word "excel", which eliminates the Jim Knowltons of the world.

A big reason why there is no Pac 10 Conference anymore is that when Cal finally had the chance to remove the small thinking Tom Hansen, the conference presidents got cute and hired two guys who had zero experience doing the job they were hired to do and then predictably, they wasted money on all the wrong stuff and failed to do the job for which they were hired.

Stop being cute and just hire someone who has shown they know what they are doing.


There are a few ADs at other schools that seem pretty good. Pat Chun at WSU is someone who has impressed me.

However, I think we need to recognize that the landscape of college athletics, especially college football is changing so rapidly that someone with a lot of experience in the old paradigm is not necessarily going to be successful adapting to the new paradigm. This is no longer a "college administrator" job. The old ways won't work anymore. We need someone really smart with business savvy, marketing skills, vision and creativity. Plus a great understanding of Cal's comparative advantages. We need to recognize that college football and basketball are now professional sports. Thus I think the best candidates are going to be Cal alums who are executives (not coaches) from the professional sports world, of which there are many. We don't have the luxury of following the pack, we need to get ahead of the curve. We need to be innovative. We need to draw on the things that have always made our students and alumni great in spite of an often backwards administration.

That is why I have been advocating for outsourcing the management of the revenue sports to an alumni-run non-profit (profits donated to the university) organization (with voting shares based on contributions) that would treat them like a business while also preserving and rekindling our game day traditions.

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calumnus
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In reply to okaydo • 9:35p, 12/17/23
okaydo said:
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.


The question is, "Worse disaster than Knowlton and Wilcox?"

Because Rivera might be our only alternative. And that, only if we are incredibly lucky.
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RebelBear
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In reply to 01Bear • 10:17p, 12/17/23
https://themw.com/staff/gloria-nevarez/ ?
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BearGoggles
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In reply to Bear Naked Ladies • 11:09p, 12/17/23
Bear Naked Ladies said:
Instead of always looking for a beloved Cal alumni to shoehorn into an important position, maybe Cal should do something radiCal and very un-Cal like. If the idea behind all the guys driving the NLI bus is that Cal needs to get serious about the revenue sports, then why don't you look to hire....I don't know.....someone with actual Athletic Director experience who has excelled in the position at another school? And then pay them whatever the market bears for someone like that.

Note the word "excel", which eliminates the Jim Knowltons of the world.

A big reason why there is no Pac 10 Conference anymore is that when Cal finally had the chance to remove the small thinking Tom Hansen, the conference presidents got cute and hired two guys who had zero experience doing the job they were hired to do and then predictably, they wasted money on all the wrong stuff and failed to do the job for which they were hired.

Stop being cute and just hire someone who has shown they know what they are doing.
To your point (which I agree with), Rivera should replace Sirmon or at least become a consultant to help on D.
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Bearly Clad
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In reply to calumnus • 11:40p, 12/17/23
To that point do you think Leigh Steinberg (having a great sports background and lived all of life's ups and downs and being able to understand the realities an athlete faces) or Cynt Marshall would be good options if either could be lured?
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calumnus
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In reply to Bearly Clad • 12:51a, 12/18/23
Bearly Clad said:
To that point do you think Leigh Steinberg (having a great sports background and lived all of life's ups and downs and being able to understand the realities an athlete faces) or Cynt Marshall would be good options if either could be lured?


Or Amy Trask, Larry Baer, Shareef Abdur Rahim or….?
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mbBear
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In reply to Bearly Clad • 8:35a, 12/18/23
Bearly Clad said:
With reports today confirming that Ron is likely looking for work this offseason do y'all think he's qualified to be AD? I know it's different from being just a coach and he won't have experience with a lot of other sports but some of the best ADs in CFB history have been former coaches. Ron also took a strong administrative role in the Washington franchise during the debacle of the late-Snyder years and the transition to current ownership group.

It's clear that Wilcox is entrenched and unless we backslide the next few years while his buyout becomes more manageable then he's not going anywhere.

I could see a lot of merit in having a guy like Riverboat Ron in the AD office who appreciates the importance of prioritizing revenue sports, understands Cal history and greatness, wouldn't neglect other sport programs, would have terrific cachet for donor outreach, and knows that Cal has specific challenges to overcome with the UC system, Cal faculty, and city of Berkeley often working against us.

So do you think Ron would have what it takes to do the job well and do you think he'd want it? We need to move on from Knowlton asap regardless but Ron seems like he'd be a great candidate to run the department imo


Yes. It's not even a discussion if you know Ron and know his background.
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philly1121
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In reply to okaydo • 10:07a, 12/18/23
okaydo said:
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.
No you're not alone. I share this opinion.

Hiring a guy simply because he went to Cal, is not a good enough reason for me. For AD - he has no administrator experience. I suspect he is likely new to the NIL game and all its nuances. As for a coach - yeah he's been to the Super Bowl. But that was years ago. He is the HC of a poor Washington team. Losing record in 5 of the last 6 seasons he's been a head coach. If people want to bring this guy in because "he understands Cal", you know what? Based on his record the past 6 seasons - he understands us quite perfectly.
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01Bear
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In reply to RebelBear • 10:07a, 12/18/23
RebelBear said:
https://themw.com/staff/gloria-nevarez/ ?

Thanks! Cal would be foolish not to give her a call at least. If she doesn't want to take the AD job, she might know someone who would be a better fit than Joke Knowlton.
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southseasbear
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In reply to philly1121 • 10:19a, 12/18/23
philly1121 said:
okaydo said:
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.
No you're not alone. I share this opinion.

Hiring a guy simply because he went to Cal, is not a good enough reason for me. For AD - he has no administrator experience. I suspect he is likely new to the NIL game and all its nuances. As for a coach - yeah he's been to the Super Bowl. But that was years ago. He is the HC of a poor Washington team. Losing record in 5 of the last 6 seasons he's been a head coach. If people want to bring this guy in because "he understands Cal", you know what? Based on his record the past 6 seasons - he understands us quite perfectly.
"New to the NIL game...?" Who isn't. But you do know that he has played an active role in our NIL, right?

Losing record at Washington. Yes, but under current ownership it's been a perennial doormat where no one has been able to win.
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philly1121
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In reply to southseasbear • 10:59a, 12/18/23
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
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Rushinbear
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In reply to philly1121 • 11:23a, 12/18/23
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
the question is, how to get a chanc who gets college revenue sports and has the backbone to squelch the detractors and replace jk. until then, any talk about a new ad is a waste. how can the regents, or whoever, be influenced to get it, to?
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StillNoStanfurdium
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In reply to philly1121 • 5:15p, 12/18/23
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
Hypothetically say you had a chance to hire a coach that was just previously a NFL HC for 2 seasons with a record of 9-7, then 6-10. Previously had stints in the NFL as position coach or coordinator about 5 years. Plenty of college experience with 32 years of total coaching experience with NCAA & NFL combined. But kind of a middling recent NFL performance. Do you get excited about hiring that guy?

That guy would be Nick Saban before getting hired at Alabama. Now I'm not saying that Saban's NFL record is the same as Rivera's record or recent performances. But is it that far off? How well someone does in the NFL doesn't always translate to college success. And granted, Saban has had years, and years of college experience compared to Rivera who would be trying it for the first time but I just want to say that recent NFL record may not tell the whole story.
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calumnus
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In reply to StillNoStanfurdium • 5:21p, 12/18/23
StillNoStanfurdium said:
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
Hypothetically say you had a chance to hire a coach that was just previously a NFL HC for 2 seasons with a record of 9-7, then 6-10. Previously had stints in the NFL as position coach or coordinator about 5 years. Plenty of college experience with 32 years of total coaching experience with NCAA & NFL combined. But kind of a middling recent NFL performance. Do you get excited about hiring that guy?

That guy would be Nick Saban before getting hired at Alabama. Now I'm not saying that Saban's NFL record is the same as Rivera's record or recent performances. But is it that far off? How well someone does in the NFL doesn't always translate to college success. And granted, Saban has had years, and years of college experience compared to Rivera who would be trying it for the first time but I just want to say that recent NFL record may not tell the whole story.


You see the same in college basketball and the NBA. Many great college basketball coaches fail in the NBA then return to college and succeed again. Different skill sets.

However, experience in the pros has always been an advantage in college.
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philly1121
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In reply to StillNoStanfurdium • 5:57p, 12/18/23
StillNoStanfurdium said:
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
Hypothetically say you had a chance to hire a coach that was just previously a NFL HC for 2 seasons with a record of 9-7, then 6-10. Previously had stints in the NFL as position coach or coordinator about 5 years. Plenty of college experience with 32 years of total coaching experience with NCAA & NFL combined. But kind of a middling recent NFL performance. Do you get excited about hiring that guy?

That guy would be Nick Saban before getting hired at Alabama. Now I'm not saying that Saban's NFL record is the same as Rivera's record or recent performances. But is it that far off? How well someone does in the NFL doesn't always translate to college success. And granted, Saban has had years, and years of college experience compared to Rivera who would be trying it for the first time but I just want to say that recent NFL record may not tell the whole story.
The difference is that Nick Saban won at Michigan State. He was 34-24 there. That led to his stint at LSU. He won there. 48-16. Finished #1 in 2003. Then he went to the Dolphins. Winning record his first year; 6-10 his second. Then went to Alabama. I don't really think Ron Rivera has that body of work or success. Again, seems like a great guy. Great ambassador for the school. I wouldn't take a chance. My two cents.
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StillNoStanfurdium
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In reply to philly1121 • 6:11p, 12/18/23
philly1121 said:
StillNoStanfurdium said:
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
Hypothetically say you had a chance to hire a coach that was just previously a NFL HC for 2 seasons with a record of 9-7, then 6-10. Previously had stints in the NFL as position coach or coordinator about 5 years. Plenty of college experience with 32 years of total coaching experience with NCAA & NFL combined. But kind of a middling recent NFL performance. Do you get excited about hiring that guy?

That guy would be Nick Saban before getting hired at Alabama. Now I'm not saying that Saban's NFL record is the same as Rivera's record or recent performances. But is it that far off? How well someone does in the NFL doesn't always translate to college success. And granted, Saban has had years, and years of college experience compared to Rivera who would be trying it for the first time but I just want to say that recent NFL record may not tell the whole story.
The difference is that Nick Saban won at Michigan State. He was 34-24 there. That led to his stint at LSU. He won there. 48-16. Finished #1 in 2003. Then he went to the Dolphins. Winning record his first year; 6-10 his second. Then went to Alabama. I don't really think Ron Rivera has that body of work or success. Again, seems like a great guy. Great ambassador for the school. I wouldn't take a chance. My two cents.
Yeah I know Saban had a college history to point to as well but it's not like Rivera doesn't have past accolades.

At Carolina he went 76-63. He won there. 3 Division titles, 4 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance. Took a 2-14 team to 6-10 his first year up to 12-4 in his 3rd year and in the playoffs.

His first year with WAS he took a 3-13 team and improved them to 7-9 his first year winning a very bad NFC East and making the playoffs. Sure he didn't improve after that and basically held steady at 7 wins, then 8 wins before falling off this year but this year basically seems to be about as bad as Rivera has ever been.

I'm not guaranteeing that he's the next Saban. But shoot, maybe he can be as good as another college coach who previously had a 1 year NFL stint going 6-10 before getting fired, then 3 years later getting another shot putting together a decent 27-21 record with a final 8-8 record before getting fired again and returning to the college coaching ranks. This coach was previously only a coordinator or assistant in the collegiate ranks and hiring him would be as a first time college head coach? Is his record good enough for you?
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calumnus
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In reply to philly1121 • 7:41p, 12/18/23
philly1121 said:
StillNoStanfurdium said:
philly1121 said:
I did not know that. Thank you for the knowledge.

As far as Washington, he's had 4 seasons to turn it around. His last two seasons at Carolina were losing records. I appreciate all he's done to rep Cal and certainly he seems like a nice guy. I'm just not high on him as a head coach.
Hypothetically say you had a chance to hire a coach that was just previously a NFL HC for 2 seasons with a record of 9-7, then 6-10. Previously had stints in the NFL as position coach or coordinator about 5 years. Plenty of college experience with 32 years of total coaching experience with NCAA & NFL combined. But kind of a middling recent NFL performance. Do you get excited about hiring that guy?

That guy would be Nick Saban before getting hired at Alabama. Now I'm not saying that Saban's NFL record is the same as Rivera's record or recent performances. But is it that far off? How well someone does in the NFL doesn't always translate to college success. And granted, Saban has had years, and years of college experience compared to Rivera who would be trying it for the first time but I just want to say that recent NFL record may not tell the whole story.
The difference is that Nick Saban won at Michigan State. He was 34-24 there. That led to his stint at LSU. He won there. 48-16. Finished #1 in 2003. Then he went to the Dolphins. Winning record his first year; 6-10 his second. Then went to Alabama. I don't really think Ron Rivera has that body of work or success. Again, seems like a great guy. Great ambassador for the school. I wouldn't take a chance. My two cents.


To be clear, you "wouldn't take a chance" on Rivera meaning if Rivera offered to come here for essentially free, you would turn him down and just stay with Wilcox who is 29-43 against FBS competition and has had only 1 winning season against FBS competition out of 7 and no winning seasons in conference?

Because the reason Rivera is being floated is that we cannot afford to fire Wilcox and take a chance on anyone who would not essentially work here for free and Rivera is the only established coach that might think about doing that.

So if the only choices are Wilcox or Rivera you would not be willing to take a chance on door number 2? You'd stand pat with Wilcox (plus Sirmon and Bloesch)?
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movielover
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9:54p, 12/18/23
Dr. Brian Wickstrom was a rising star in college Athletics administration who seemed to excel everywhere he went.

He built the beginning of his career at Santa Clara, Michigan, and UTEP. Then he became an AD. He started at the University of California, Riverside from 2011 to 2013, then the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 2013 to 2017, and then the University of the Incarnate Word from 2017 to 2019. He was known as a "fundraising star".

He had success upgrading athletic facilities at UC Riverside. Here he is in a promo clip.



He took a big pay cut to go to ULM bc they had FBS football. At ULM he built facilities, expanded the budget, increased gate receipts, you name it. He was reportedly a finalist for the Fresno State AD position.

https://ulmwarhawks.com/news/2017/5/18/211599506

He then went to Incarnate Word and something happened. Local articles suggest politics, and he may have outshined the new chancellor. He's now the President and CEO of St. John Bosco.

I'd take a run at him. Energetic, knows the UC, desire to be involved in FBS football, likes fundraising, will get in the trenches, family man (5 children), and has a gorgeous wife.

At SJB, they're currently investing $1.75 million into the baseball facilities.
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mbBear
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In reply to philly1121 • 8:18a, 12/19/23
philly1121 said:
okaydo said:
I'm of the "Ron Rivera would be a disaster for our program as HC or AD" opinion. I guess I'm alone in this opinion.
No you're not alone. I share this opinion.

Hiring a guy simply because he went to Cal, is not a good enough reason for me. For AD - he has no administrator experience. I suspect he is likely new to the NIL game and all its nuances. As for a coach - yeah he's been to the Super Bowl. But that was years ago. He is the HC of a poor Washington team. Losing record in 5 of the last 6 seasons he's been a head coach. If people want to bring this guy in because "he understands Cal", you know what? Based on his record the past 6 seasons - he understands us quite perfectly.


His wife is one of the leaders of the Cal NIL initiative. He was involved with a matching weekend with NIL. He has been involved with Cal donations at the highest level, and has worked first hand to bring in donations.
He moved from non-football work which wanted him to be more administrative/leadership into media and then coaching.

Not taking up against anyone's position, but I wanted to share facts.
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