Exclusive: Ron Rivera reveals 'challenge' reason for Bill Belichick going to UNC
12/17/2024 06:03 PM
Ron Rivera knows a thing or two about being a great coach and achieving success at the NFL level. The 62-year-old is best known for leading both the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders as the head coach of both franchises. It was with the Panthers where he won the NFL Coach of the Year award on two occasions and led Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance at the conclusion of the 2015 season. While coaching the Panthers, Rivera witnessed Bill Belichick establish himself as the greatest coach in NFL history. After Rivera took over Carolina during the 2011 season, Belichick won three more Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in addition to the three he won during the early 2000’s.
Belichick’s new gig will be leading the North Carolina Tar Heels as he coaches at the college level for the first time. Although Belichick is just 27 wins away from surpassing former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula as the all-time wins leader, Rivera says it’s the “challenge” of taking over a collegiate program like the Tar Heels that enticed Belichick to the college ranks over returning to the pros.
“There’s a reason why, there’s something he wants to prove or he loves the challenge of doing something now,” says Rivera in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with USAA of Belichick’s decision to coach the Tar Heels.
Rivera says Bill Belichick could set a “new trend” in college football.
“I think that with the way people are talking about investing more and more in college sports and especially college football, I think we could be seeing the beginning of something different in college sports,” says Rivera. “As far as football is concerned, Belichick may be aware that he may be one of those guys that sets a new trend for college football. I like his plan to come in, establish and build a new program that can be very similar to the way things are done in the NFL.”
Rivera also points towards how Belichick’s father, Steve, was an assistant coach at North Carolina for three seasons from 1953 until 1955. He believes that played a role in Belichick’s decision to join the Tar Heels and coach in the college ranks.
“I think this is something different,” says Rivera. “I had a chance to read his book, one of the people that he talked about and he watched was his father. His father started at UNC at one point, he coached there and he also had a tremendous coaching career at Naval Academy as well. This is a little bit of doing something in terms of following his dad, having some success in the college ranks.”
The former Panthers and Commanders head coach downplayed the career wins record for Bill Belichick, instead pointing towards how he’s already won eight Super Bowls as a coach at the NFL level and has nothing to really prove anymore at the pro level.
“What he’s talking about doing is coaching and preparing these guys for the next step in their career,” said Rivera. “I do see a lot of positives to his decision to do it. I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s done and I think he’s doing something that is a new challenge for him personally, eight Super Bowls as a head coach and as an assistant. I think this is the next step for him to take a shot at doing something different, taking a shot at doing something different and going to college football and seeing if he can be successful at that level as well.”
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