Why is Ron Rivera called Riverboat Ron? Explaining the origin of Commanders coach’s nickname
After spending more than 25 years on an NFL sideline, Ron Rivera has made a name for himself in the coaching ranks. Over the course of his 13 years as a head coach, Rivera’s earned a nickname for himself, too.
Rivera, a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year who recently surpassed the 100-win plateau, has become a household name in coaching thanks to his time as the lead man in Carolina and Washington. As evidenced by his resume, Rivera has done his fair share of winning during his career, but the manner in which he’s done his winning is what became the stuff of legends.
Since the 2013 NFL season, Rivera has been known as “Riverboat Ron,” a nickname that he once decried before eventually embracing it. The nickname and the philosophy that inspired it have turned around seasons, resulted in hilarious memes and very well may have saved RIvera’s coaching career.
The Sporting News looks back at the origins of Rivera’s “Riverboat Ron” nickname.
Why is Ron Rivera called Riverboat Ron?
Rivera’s nickname is related to riverboat gambling. The gambles, or risks, Rivera has taken in fourth-down situations as a head coach are similar to that of a gambler, earning him the moniker of “Riverboat Ron.”
The nickname is situational as it is almost exclusively employed when Rivera has his team go for it on fourth down or take another calculated in-game risk. It can also work against his favor when he elects not to take a risk, like Washington’s decision to opt for overtime and not go for a two-point conversion to defeat defending NFC champion Philadelphia in Week 4 of the 2023 season.
MORE: Ron Rivera explains why Commanders played for OT in loss vs. Eagles
How Ron Rivera got his Riverboat Ron nickname
Rivera earned the nickname during his third season as head coach of the Panthers. The nickname itself actually stems from the way Rivera responded to something he didn’t do.
After two losing seasons, Rivera was on the hot seat early in the 2013 campaign. In the second game of the season, one sequence seemingly changed everything about Rivera’s approach.
The Panthers, who had already lost their season opener, had the ball and a 20-17 lead over the Bills late in the fourth quarter of Week 2. As Carolina faced a fourth-and-1 from Buffalo’s 21-yard line, Rivera elected to play it safe by kicking a field goal to give his team a 23-17 lead with 1:38 remaining. The Bills responded with an 80-yard drive, scoring the game-winning touchdown with two seconds remaining to knock Carolina to 0-2 on the season.
Playing conservatively led to the loss and an epiphany in traffic let Rivera know that something had to change.
Fast forward to Week 6, when the Panthers visited the Vikings. Carolina was 1-3 and Rivera’s seat was hotter than it had ever been. In the first quarter, Rivera’s team went for — and converted — two fourth downs on its first scoring drive of the game. Carolina would earn a 35-10 win over Minnesota.
And thus, “Riverboat Ron” was born.
Rivera was reluctant to accept the nickname at first but as the risks continued to pay off and the wins continued to stack, he warmed up to the moniker, which took a life of its own when Rivera was hilariously photoshopped as a riverboat gambler.
Carolina’s Week 6 win over Minnesota was the first of eight consecutive wins in a season where the team finished 12-4 and earned its first NFC South championship in five years. The team finished the season going 10 of 13 on fourth downs, including a near-perfect 8 of 9 mark on fourth-and-1.
Ten years later, it’s clear that the nickname has stuck.
Ron Rivera’s fourth down success
Since taking over as Washington’s head coach in 2020, Rivera has had his team go for it on fourth down a total of 80 times (through Week 5 of the 2023 season.) In the time span, Washington has converted on 42 fourth downs, a 52.5 percent rate.
This season , the Commanders are 3 of 4 (75.0 percent) on fourth down.
Ron Rivera’s other nicknames
Long before he was known as “Riverboat Ron,” Rivera was affectionately referred to as “Chico” while playing with the Bears.
As the story goes, Rivera, a serviceable linebacker, earned the nickname from defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who likened Rivera to actor Freddie Prinze’s character in “Chico and the Man.”
clock This article was published more than 4 years ago
‘Riverboat’ Ron Rivera has a great nickname, but he’s not the gambler you think
New Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera has embraced the “Riverboat Ron” nickname he earned for his aggressive fourth-down decision-making with the Carolina Panthers, though he prefers to be known more as a calculated risk-taker than a gambler. “Analytical Ron” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Early in his coaching career, Rivera was quite the opposite, and it led to calls for his job. In Week 2 of the 2013 season, Rivera’s third year at the helm of the Panthers, Carolina led Buffalo 20-17 with less than two minutes remaining. Facing fourth and one from the Buffalo 21-yard line, Rivera opted to kick a field goal to take a six-point lead. The decision was hardly surprising; since 2011, only one other NFL coach had gone for it fewer times on fourth down than Rivera. The Bills drove 65 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, dropping Carolina to 0-2.
After the loss, the Charlotte Observer ran an online poll asking whether then-owner Jerry Richardson should fire Rivera immediately. Eighty-three percent of the respondents said yes.
Redskins to introduce Ron Rivera as head coach
Rivera’s transformation began the following week against the Giants. In the first quarter, on fourth and one from the New York 2-yard line, the Panthers went for it. Fullback Mike Tolbert scored a touchdown en route to a 38-0 Carolina win. Three weeks later, the Panthers converted a pair of fourth downs on an early touchdown drive in a 35-10 win at Minnesota.
ESPN’s David Newton, who helped coin the “Riverboat Ron” nickname after the win over the Vikings, asked Rivera a couple of days later whether, in hindsight, he would have gone for it on fourth down against Buffalo in Week 2.
“Which is the right call?” Rivera said with a smile . “The right call turns out to be one that you win with. If you win, it’s a great call.”
Good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/XUgR7Jdj8b — Josh (@GoldAndOrSmith) December 1, 2013
The Panthers won 11 of their last 12 games and converted 10 of their 13 fourth-down opportunities to close the season, resulting in an NFC South title.
“I needed to realize that playing conservative, playing close to the vest, playing by the book — sometimes you’ve just got to throw all that away,” Rivera told the Observer in 2014 .
But is Rivera truly a gambler on the gridiron? Not exactly.
The Panthers went for it on fourth down 123 times from 2011 to 2019, giving them just the 25th-most attempts in that span. The Redskins, by comparison, went for it 140 times in that same span. The average NFL team made nearly 137 fourth-down attempts.
The Panthers, though, were a winning team under Rivera, and so we can also look solely at fourth-down decisions in the first three quarters when the score was within eight points — eliminating obvious catch-up situations. In those situations, the Panthers went for it on fourth down 36 times from 2011 to 2019. Nine teams went for it more often in similar situations.
Brewer: Ron Rivera is traditional, hard-nosed and just what the Redskins need
Carolina was, however, one of the most successful teams when it gambled, converting 78 percent of its score-neutral fourth-down opportunities. Only the Kansas City Chiefs had more success moving the chains during that nine-year window, converting 81 percent of their score-neutral fourth-down chances. Like Rivera said, “If you win, it’s a great call.”
In fact, since that 2013 campaign, Rivera has gone for it on fourth down in score-neutral situations only 23 times, a below-average rate for the years 2014 to 2019 and just a few tries fewer than his new team attempted. (The Redskins went for it 20 times in those situations; the Ravens led the NFL with 53 score-neutral fourth-down attempts).
If you make one more adjustment and isolate only those score-neutral situations in which Rivera found himself in his own territory — true riverboat territory — he went for it on fourth down only four times in nine seasons. (The Ravens led the NFL with 11 attempts in those situations, and the Cowboys were next with 10.)
It was a similar story in the playoffs: Rivera went for it only seven times in seven postseason games, and just two of those were in the first three quarters with the score within eight points. None of them were with the Panthers bogged down in their own territory. Playoff teams as a whole went for it 206 times on fourth down (all situations) over 176 playoff games from 2011 to 2018, which averages to just over one attempt per game, slightly more often than Rivera.
But the nickname persisted, and Rivera occasionally did enough to justify it. In November, for example, Rivera’s Panthers had two fourth-down conversions in a 30-20 win over the Titans, including one on fourth and four from their own 36-yard line.
“I just felt we needed a little momentum,” Rivera told reporters of his decision to go for it in a situation when most NFL coaches would punt. “Sure, we had a 10-point lead, but they’d just gone down and scored on us, and that was disappointing to me. But I just felt, sometimes you just can’t measure those things with numbers. There’s a feel in the game, and it’s just one of those things I felt we had to do something.”
Read more on the Redskins :
Jack Del Rio to become Redskins defensive coordinator, will switch to a 4-3 scheme
Ron Rivera agrees to become Redskins’ next coach, begins building staff
After a decade of change everywhere but the top, Redskins finally move on from Bruce Allen
From ‘winning off the field’ to ‘damn good’ culture: Bruce Allen’s Redskins tenure in quotes
Svrluga: With Bruce Allen gone, Daniel Snyder has no more excuses
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Best Memes, Reactions to the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl
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Black people are having a ridiculous amount of fun celebrating the ‘heroes’ of the Montgomery brawl.
Black people know we have to revel in the small victories because they don’t come along often. One of these unforgettable moments happened on Saturday, when an all-out brawl in Montgomery, Ala . led to one of the most viral incidents in the history of Black Twitter (yes, we’re still calling it that). While the mayor is busy talking about how “ Justice will be served ,” the rest of us are getting jokes off. From the folding chair, to fight play-by-play, to the awesome names for our favorite new superhero, these are the best memes and reactions to the Montgomery riverboat brawl.
Wakanda Forever
Come on, you know it took no time at all for someone to blend this brawl with the Blackest superhero movie ever.
Riverfront WrestleMania
Seriously, this commentary is better than anything WWE is currently offering.
A New Holiday
We just got Juneteenth and we’re already starting the campaign for a new Black national holiday.
The Hat Signal
Based on the footage of the brawl, Black folks don’t need a signal—we know exactly when it’s time to show up.
Shoutout to Jason Aldean
Guess this isn’t what the country singer had in mind when he released his controversial single, “Try That in a Small Town.”
Try What in a Small Town?
Jason Aldean is not ready for all the smoke he’s getting right now.
Black Aquaman
The internet has come up with a plethora of names for the young man who swam across the river to get some.
The Reenactment
Hollywood may be on strike, but that doesn’t mean great cinema can’t be found.
Seadris Elba
The names for a young aqua-based hero have been the best part of this whole situation. They’re all spectacular, but “Swimzel Washington” might be the best.
The Heroes We Deserve
Sometimes life gives us the heroes we need and the ones we deserve.
The Chair Speaks
When something like this happens, everyone has something to say...even the folding chair.
History Was Made
We will now celebrate the “Alabama Sweet Tea Party” with the same energy as the Boston Tea Party.
There’s Already a Soundtrack
It only took one day to get a tribute track on the internet.
Shaquille O’Gills
The names just keep getting better.
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After spending more than 25 years on an NFL sideline, Ron Rivera has made a name for himself in the coaching ranks. Over the course of his 13 years as a head coach, Rivera's earned a nickname for ...
GIPHY is the platform that animates your world. Find the GIFs, Clips, and Stickers that make your conversations more positive, more expressive, and more you.
Ron Rivera started calling riskier plays and 'gambling' the outcome (not gambling in the sense of betting actual money) His last name starts with River Someone made a meme of him in an old timey gambler costume and it caught on It was fun to shout RIVERBOAT RON every time he made a risky call
The nickname and the philosophy that inspired it have turned around seasons, resulted in hilarious memes and very well may have saved RIvera's coaching career. The Sporting News looks back at the origins of Rivera's "Riverboat Ron" nickname. Why is Ron Rivera called Riverboat Ron? Rivera's nickname is related to riverboat gambling.
What's an older, oft-forgotten Image, GIF, or video that reigned meme supreme in the r/nfl of yore? I'm in need of some good nostalgia, so why not try asking my favorite subreddit? Before it was banned, the king imo was the Buttfumble , but it's clearly Manningface due to it's staying power and profliferation around reddit as a whole.
Jeremy Markovich. Reginald Rogers via Wikipedia. Rivera. On November 14th, Ron Rivera told reporters he didn't much care for the nickname "Riverboat Ron." On November 18th, he filed paperwork to trademark it. Rivera, the Carolina Panthers head coach, got the nickname for his Kenny Rogers-like propensity to gamble on fourth downs- going for it ...
Riverboat Ron is out in D.C.
But as the Washington Post's, Neil Greenberg and Scott Allen illustrate, Riverboat Ron was no more of a risk-taker than the rest of the league. The Panthers went for it on fourth down 123 times ...
Posted by u/Iron_Yuppie - 1 vote and no comments
Riverboat Ron 2.0: Ron Rivera gets 'ballsy,' gets a new nickname (maybe) and gets an important win. By Joseph Person. Nov 4, 2019. Early in the 2013 season, with his job in jeopardy, Panthers ...
ESPN's David Newton, who helped coin the "Riverboat Ron" nickname after the win over the Vikings, asked Rivera a couple of days later whether, in hindsight, he would have gone for it on ...
GIPHY is the platform that animates your world. Find the GIFs, Clips, and Stickers that make your conversations more positive, more expressive, and more you.
From the folding chair, to fight play-by-play, to the awesome names for our favorite new superhero, these are the best memes and reactions to the Montgomery riverboat brawl. Come on, you know it ...
Overview. Montgomery Alabama Riverboat Fight, also known as the Alabama River Dock Brawl, refers to an incident at Montgomery's Riverfront Park in Alabama in which a large group of people was captured fighting after a pontoon boat was blocking dock space needed to park a riverboat. The brawl occurred in early August 2023 and several videos of ...
Gornozavodsk (Russian: Горнозаво́дск) is a town and the administrative center of Gornozavodsky District in Perm Krai, Russia, located 192 kilometers (119 mi) northeast of Perm, the administrative center of the krai.Population: 12,057 (2010 Russian census); 13,061 (2002 Census); 14,858 (1989 Soviet census). It was previously known as Novopashiysky (until 1965).
Perm Krai (Russian: Пе́рмский край) is a federal subject in Russia (Krai), spanning from the east of the East European Plain to the western part of the Middle Ural Mountains. The live webcams will show around this region, renowned for its first-class ballet, and the significant collection of ancient art including the rich local art in museums such as the Perm State Art Gallery.
r/panthers • With all the madness to start the day I just wanted to take some time to appreciate a longtime panther Shaq Thompson. I hope he can get one more playoff run before he hangs it up with us.
Traffic. This HD live webcam takes you to the city Solikamsk in the Russian Perm Krai. The online stream shows you the intersection of the major street Severnaya and Molodezhnaya street, including the local time and weather in Solikamsk. This city is one of the oldest towns in the Krai, with a rich heritage seen in many historical buildings ...
Perm Oblast. Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. Maximum temperature record. 42 degree Celsius. Minimum temperature record. −56 degree Celsius. official website. 59° 14′ 00″ N, 56° 08′ 00″ E.