Fansided

Ranking 32 NFL coaches you’d want to have a beer with

By Andrew McCarty

Jul 28, 2016; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera waves to the fans after defeating the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Championship football game held at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera waves to the fans after defeating the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Championship football game held at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

. Head Coach. Carolina Panthers. Ron Rivera. 13. player. 87

Ron Rivera, lucky number 13, is the head coach of the Super Bowl 50 runners-up, the Carolina Panthers. After going 7-8-1 in 2014 and somehow ending up in first place in their division, the Panthers rebounded in a big way in 2015. They collected 15 wins with only one loss, and made it through the NFC playoffs in stunning fashion.

The Panthers dominated every opponent they had during the NFC playoffs, but unfortunately they ran into one of the greatest defensive performances of all time against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican (from his father) and Mexican (from his mother) heritage, was just the fifth man of color to lead his team to the Super Bowl.

Rivera also became the first player of Mexican/Puerto Rican descent to play on a Super Bowl-winning team as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears, who had a buzzsaw of a defense in their own right.

Rivera broke barriers not only as a player, but as a head coach, and I would relish the opportunity to sit down with the man and talk about his professional past and the road he has paved for future head coaches and athletes. And who wouldn’t want to talk with the head coach of Cam Newton? Coach Rivera must have some good stories to tell, and I would be honored to sit and listen.

Next: Pete Carroll

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