With puppies and autographs, Ron Rivera and Panthers fans said goodbye one last time
Yard sales are held to get rid of things that are no longer needed or to make money on items that just aren’t being used anymore. Usually it’s junk from the basement or childhood toys that have been outgrown. But sometimes it’s even more meaningful.
Perhaps nothing better epitomizes that than the yard sale that was held Saturday by Ron and Stephanie Rivera at the Humane Society of Charlotte.
After nine years with the Panthers, the Riveras are moving on to their new team in Washington and have no use of the various items donning Carolina colors that they have collected over that time.
So they decided to sell it, with all the benefits going to the Humane Society, a cause the family has supported over their time in the Carolinas, and the society’s mission to build a new facility. But on top of that, it was an opportunity to say goodbye. To the fans, to the city and for one last time to a team that they transformed over nearly a decade.
“It’s an opportunity for us to give back to a community that’s been so supportive. From the time I got here, Stephanie and I started building a relationship in the community, the community’s been so good to us, (we wanted to) make sure we gave back as many ways as we could,” Ron Rivera said. “We wanted to make sure we gave back every opportunity we could, and this is our swan song, our last opportunity and really just to say thank you one last time.”
Ron Rivera spent three hours signing autographs and shaking hands with a line of fans that seemingly never ended after the first people had lined up at 9 a.m., three hours before things were set to begin. In total, around 3,000 people attended with the Humane Society raising $30,237.
The idea for the yard sale came from another NFL coaching family that had been through a similar situation as the Riveras.
“I was talking to Tammy Reid (wife of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid), who was with the Eagles for so long and now with the Kansas City Chiefs, she just said, ‘Hey, when we left (Philadelphia) we had 13 years of stuff.’ She said, ‘Don’t just throw it away. Give it to a charity and let them have a yard sale and they made almost $30,000,’ ” Stephanie Rivera said. “I said, ‘I think I know who can directly can benefit from this,’ so we decided the Humane Society is the place to be.”
Other former Panthers coaches and former and current players, like Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly and Cam Newton, also donated apparel, some signed, to the cause. Those who showed up had an opportunity to get Ron Rivera’s autograph on any items, even some Washington gear, over a three-hour period. The line grew so long that they were unable to accommodate everyone for autographs.
The Riveras have been involved with the Humane Society throughout their time in Carolina, even adopting their new dog, Sierra, from the shelter in November. Both Sierra and the family’s other dog, Tahoe, were in attendance at the event.
They are keeping a few select items from their years in Carolina, as they have with Ron’s previous stops in Chicago, Philadelphia (with Coach Reid from 1999-2003) and San Diego. Among the things that are keeping are collages that fans sent them as “they’re personal to the fans.”
Despite Ron Rivera having been let go by the Panthers over two months ago with four games left in the 2019 NFL season, the Riveras felt it was important to continue giving back to the community. Items up for sale included shirts from Super Bowl 50, Ron Rivera’s briefcase and other unique Panthers items, especially from the 2015 run.
Although people were certainly excited to donate to the cause, almost every fan who came up to Ron Rivera to get his autograph and say hello, also took the time to thank him and wish him well.
Rivera briefly commented on the new era ahead for the Panthers on the field saying in reference to Cam Newton’s future, “A healthy Cam I would never bet against,” and acknowledging the time of change for the Panthers, “Now’s an opportunity for the new regime to come in and build it in their way.” But that wasn’t the focus.
The Humane Society is using the money raised as part of its campaign to build a new 46,000-square-foot campus. The organization is $2.5 million away from its goal of $15 million to begin construction on the new site.
“They’ve been partners with us for over a decade and we’re just really thankful,” said Donna Stucker, vice president of philanthropy at the Humane Society. “We’re trying to build a new facility. Our old facility is just in a real bad state of disrepair, and the money raised from today’s sale is going towards helping us with a whole new building.”
It’s hard to think of a more fitting way for the Riveras to officially end their time in the Carolinas as the new era for the Panthers is set to begin. Fans waited over two hours in line to support a cause the family is incredibly passionate about. Many people didn’t even purchase items, but just wanted to meet the coach and thank him, or bought dog beds or other items to support the cause.
“It’s a bittersweet end. We’re so sad to see them go, but we’re so thankful for everything that they’ve done,” Stucker said. “It just almost seems fitting that they would go out kind of big. We’re excited to be able to offer them that ability to do that here today.”
What the family did off the field won’t be forgotten in how they are remembered in Carolina. The line that never ended was evidence of that.
“Thank you. That’s why we’re doing this,” Ron Rivera said of his message to the fans. “One last chance for us to give a thank you to the community that we really did appreciate our nine seasons here, and we really did appreciate the support that they gave us just being fans and trying to support the charitable efforts that we have out here.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 4:53 PM with the headline "With puppies and autographs, Ron Rivera and Panthers fans said goodbye one last time."
