"After the Bears secured a 21-14 victory on Ron Coccimiglio's pass deflection in the end zone on the game's final play, Rivera was swallowed up by the intense reaction on both sides. Really seeing the depths of despair when you lose and the excitement and thrill when you win was amazing. I did get caught up in that euphoria, he recalled this week in advance of the 128th Big Game at Stanford on Saturday."
"He surveys the changing football college landscape, where decades-old traditions are being discarded, and all the more embraces an event first held in 1892. Referring to the breakup of the Pac-12 Conference and the end of rivalry games across the country, Rivera lamented, That to me, that's a crime as far as I'm concerned, for college athletics to let something like that happen."
"But Rivera's primary objective is to oversee and help boost his alma mater's program, which hasn't had a winning season since 2019. He wants to make the Bears relevant beyond the borders of the Bay Area. Coach Justin Wilcox's squad is 6-4 and bowl eligible after its 29-26 overtime win at then-No. 15 Louisville in its most recent game two weeks ago. At 3-3 in the ACC, the Bears are positioned to achieve their first winning conference record since 2009."
Ron Rivera first embraced the Big Game as a Seaside High senior in 1979 and vividly remembers the euphoria of a last-play victory. Rivera now serves as Cal football's first-year general manager and prioritizes rebuilding a program without a winning season since 2019. Rivera values long-standing rivalry traditions and criticizes the breakup of the Pac-12 and the fading of rivalries. Cal is 6-4 under Coach Justin Wilcox, bowl eligible after a 29-26 overtime win at then-No. 15 Louisville, and stands 3-3 in the ACC, in position for its first winning conference record since 2009. Increased resources have been devoted to the program.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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