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Ron Rivera Wins 2015 NFL Coach of the Year

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  • Ron Rivera Wins 2015 NFL Coach of the Year

    Cam Newton of Carolina Panthers among NFL awards winners

    SAN FRANCISCO -- Carolina's Ron Rivera earned coach of the year honors for the second time in three seasons.

    Rivera was presented with his second coach of the year award, and he accepted in a video. The only other Panthers coach to win the award was Dom Capers in 1996.

    "It's a tremendous award for the organization. It validates everything that we've done," Rivera said. "And again, our success always starts at the top. I really do appreciate our owner, Mr. [Jerry] Richardson, for believing in me and giving me my opportunity. Dave Gettleman and Marty Hurney -- the two general managers I've worked with -- I thank them for what they've done. Our coaching staff has been tremendous. Our players have been outstanding."

    Rivera dedicated this award to his late brother, Mickey, who died recently.

    In a season featuring several outstanding coaching performances, Rivera easily outdistanced the field. He received 36.5 votes, which put him far in front of Kansas City's Andy Reid, with six votes.

    Rivera is the second Hispanic coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl. Tom Flores was the first. He guided the Oakland Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XV and the Los Angeles Raiders to a win in Super Bowl XVIII.

    Rivera, 54, was the first player of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent to play in the NFL when he was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1984. A linebacker out of the University of California, Rivera helped the Bears win Super Bowl XX the following season.

    "I'm a big fan of Coach Rivera,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday in his state-of-the-league speech. "One of the things that always I respected about Coach is he was always looking to improve. He was always looking to gain experience, so that he had the skill set, the experience, to be able to become a head coach. He's now playing in the Super Bowl.''

    Rivera interviewed for a head-coaching position eight times before finally being hired by the Panthers in 2011. There was speculation that his job was in jeopardy early in the 2013 season, after a 1-3 start following 6-10 and 7-9 campaigns.

    The Panthers finished that 2013 season 12-4, and Rivera was named coach of the year. He has led Carolina to three consecutive NFC South titles. No NFC South team had won two in a row before the past season.

    "It's rewarding for him, but I know he's focused on trying to win on Sunday,'' Goodell said.

    Goodell said Rivera is a great example of what the NFL wants to represent in terms of diversity.

    "We want to attract, we want to retain, and we want to develop great talent, and that's in the coaching level, that's in the front office,'' Goodell said. "Where we can get great talent, we're going to be better off as a league, so we think diversity strengthens us.

    "The success of Coach Rivera, hopefully that inspired some young people who want to get into coaching that have Latino backgrounds.''
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