Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Brian Robinson, Sam Howell and Emmanuel Forbes
By Dean Jones
Commanders head coach pays tribute to Joe Kapp
The NFL community lost a great man this week when Joe Kapp passed away. The ex-quarterback turned coach has a lasting impact on almost everyone he came into contact with - which also included Ron Rivera.
Rivera played under Kapp at California for two seasons en route to becoming a second-round selection in the 1984 NFL Draft. When speaking to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk after the sad news broke, the Washington Commanders' head coach revealed just how inspirational his old mentor was on his personal and professional outlook.
"He’s been an inspiration in my life. He stressed how important education was . . . . He was hard. He showed me how it needed to be done in order to be successful. (He'll be remembered) as a tough individual who loved everything about his life,” Rivera said, “everything about being from California and having gone to the University of California at Berkley, which he truly loved. He would want people to know he gave his all, all the time."
- Ron Rivera via Pro Football Talk
Rivera added that he felt a connection to Kapp, who grew up in the same area of Salinas Valley. They also had the same Hispanic heritage to further enhance a close-knit bond.
These values taught by Kapp are something Rivera and no doubt countless others still live by to this day. That, above all else, will be his lasting legacy.