In the midst of his first winning season in 2013, Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera was dubbed “Riverboat Ron” for his decision to chuck caution to the side and start going for more fourth-down conversions.
Fans loved the nickname. Photoshopped images of Rivera in old-timey gambling attire went viral and a line of Riverboat Ron T-shirts raised money for the Humane Society.
But there was one problem.
That go-for-broke mentality isn’t really what Rivera is all about. The former Bears linebacker and NFL defensive coordinator conceded that “Calculated Risk-Taker” was closer to the mark.
Why the history lesson four years later, in the middle of draft season?