ROLLING WITH RIVERS

Ronnie Rivers opts to return to Fresno State with a championship and school records on his mind

By Eddie Hughes

Nearly three years after Ronnie Rivers ran “into the orange to win on the blue” turf at Boise State in the 2018 Mountain West championship game, he’s back home at Bulldog Stadium, sprinting up and down hundreds of stairs after practice as his teammates watch from field level.

Rivers didn’t have to be here — he chose to be. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance in May, and he is already tied for the most touchdowns in school history (44). He could have declared for the NFL Draft and, presumably, started earning a paycheck just as his father did during a six-year NFL career in the ’90s.

Instead, thanks to the NCAA granting student-athletes an extra year of eligibility after a COVID-shortened 2020 season — Fresno State played just six games last year — Rivers returns for a bonus senior season, poised to break records for a prolific Bulldogs offense.

“I definitely feel like I was ready to take the next step,” says Rivers, who talked with his parents and several coaches before making his decision to stay, “but it was a great opportunity for me to take another year to get better, prove that I can do what it takes to play at the next level and showcase everything that I have.”

So what’s the star player doing running stairs alone after practice while his teammates watch from below? He’s leading by example — showing he’s willing to do whatever his coaches ask of him.

On this day, Fresno State coach Kalen DeBoer chose to sit Rivers out during a full-contact drill so younger teammates could gain experience. In turn, running backs coach Lee Marks assigned him some extra conditioning after practice — because even the star players have to put in the work on championship teams.

That’s the type of team the Bulldogs are trying to build under second-year head coach DeBoer.

“We have a lot of potential to be great. I’m getting those 2018 vibes, championship vibes, from this team right now,” Rivers says. “We’re really bonding as a team, and I feel like we have a lot of weapons. It’s going to take all of us.”

DeBoer, to state it simply, is glad Rivers will be an ingredient in the recipe for the 2021 season. “Special person and player who does special things! Excited to get one more year with you Ronnie!” DeBoer tweeted on Jan. 8.

In 2018, when DeBoer was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator, he called one of the most memorable plays in Bulldogs history — the read option play on third-and-goal in overtime when Rivers took the pitch and scored in the snow to seal Fresno State’s 19-16 win over Boise State for the Mountain West title.

A couple weeks later, Rivers dominated Arizona State in a Las Vegas Bowl win, rushing for 212 yards and two touchdowns. That was his sophomore season.

He’s now just five rushing touchdowns from breaking Ryan Mathews’ all-time Fresno State record of 39. He’s seventh in career all-purpose yards (4,021), just 368 yards from passing Ron Rivers, his father, for fifth place. And he’s seventh in career rushing yards (2,629), needing 845 yards to pass his dad for second all-time.

The elder Rivers starred for the Bulldogs from 1991-93 under legendary coach Jim Sweeney, before an NFL career spent mostly with the Detroit Lions.

“Growing up, I would always tell him, even since I was a little kid, that I was going to come here and break his records,” Ronnie says. “So having a chance to do that is a big deal. I joke around with him a lot – who’s better and who’s not – but it’s good to be able to come here and keep the legacy going.”

So what’s the scouting report on Ronnie vs. Ron?

“I would definitely say my hands are better,” Ronnie says. “He says he’s a little faster than me, but I don’t believe I feel like he ran a little more power. He’ll lower his shoulder more than me. I’m looking to make a guy miss and go score.”

Ronnie is actually the third in the family to be a star athlete at Fresno State. His sister, Malia Rivers, was an all-conference softball player who graduated in 2017.

That Bulldogs family legacy is important to Ronnie — but there’s one stamp he wants to leave on the program. “I want to be known as a guy that my teammates could count on, and a guy that gave it everything he had.”

And he hopes he gets to show that in front of fans this season, starting with the Bulldogs opener against UConn on Aug. 28.

“That’s something that a lot of guys on the team are hoping for,” Rivers says. “That first game, we want a packed Bulldog Stadium, and I really feel like the Red Wave has that in them, if it’s allowed.”