(AP) — Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is looking to head back to college to work at his alma mater.
Rivera said Wednesday on social media that he was following the lead of Bill Belichick and will take a job in some capacity at California.
“Coach Belichick has made going back to school, cool,” he wrote. “Stay tuned I am coming home.”
Rivera and the school revealed no details about what role he would take at Cal. Coach Justin Wilcox is entering his ninth season in charge of the Golden Bears and has a 42-50 career record.
“Our alum, Ron Rivera is an icon in football for good reason,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said. “I’m thrilled to be in discussion with him about the details of joining the Cal team to support and advance our football program. We will release more information as soon as possible.”
Cal’s rival, Stanford, recently hired former star quarterback Andrew Luck to be the general manager of the program.
Rivera was an All-American linebacker at Cal in 1983 before heading to the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1984.
Rivera was on a Super Bowl-winning team his second season and had a nine-year playing career.
