The Carolina Panthers were deemed the NFC Champions last night after their 49-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals. While quarterback Cam Newton caught up with rappers like Jeezy and Future on the sidelines, head coach Ron Rivera celebrated his team’s victory as the second coach of Latino descent to lead his team to the Super Bowl.
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CONGRATS @RonRivera_ @panthers @CameronNewton @LukeKuechly @CLTgov Charlotte is SO proud! #NFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/TEH2knkPKZ
— Mayor of Charlotte (@CLTMayor) January 25, 2016
Rivera first made history as the first player of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent to be drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1984. Since then, Rivera became the third Latino to coach an NFL team when he was hired by the Carolina Panthers as their head coach in 2011.
After last night’s win, Rivera received praise from sports networks and fans alike on social media. Posts were dedicated to comparing Rivera to Tom Flores, the first Latino to win the Super Bowl as a player and a coach.
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Ron Rivera joins Tom Flores as the only head coaches of Hispanic descent to reach the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/qS1HGb22go
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 25, 2016
The Carolina Panthers will move on to play the Denver Broncos on Feb. 7 in San Francisco.