We are ranking the top 20 TV commercials featuring current or former Cal athletes. The rankings are based primarily on the appeal of the ads, but the number of commercials involving a particular Cal athlete is given some weight as well.
Ron Rivera is the general manager of Cal's football program, a new role in the increasingly complicated world of college football. He was an All-America linebacker at Cal in 1983 and played for the 1995 Chicago Bears team that won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season.
But his appeal as a TV commercial personality came as an NFL head coach. He was twice named NFL coach of the year, and his persona as a risk-taker and strong individual made him marketable for TV ads.
Rivera's father was a military man, and Ron did a bunch of commercials for USAA insurance. Some of those ads can be seen here, here, and here.. And here is an internet spot for USAA regarding a tragic fire to the Rivera home. Stephanie Rivera qualifies for this list as well; she was a member of the Cal women's basketball team.
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However, his most memorable Ron Rivera commercials were TV ads for Pepsi.
In this one, Rivera has a cameo appearance at the end of a Pepsi commercial featuring Luke Kuechly:
But Rivera is the star of this "Icing the Kicker" TV commercial for Pepsi.
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