The Rivers family legacy runs through the Fresno State campus. 

When Ron Rivers left Fresno State in 1994, he never envisioned creating a family legacy on campus. He played running back on three Bulldog teams that made the AP top 25 each year in the early 1990s, while also qualifying for three straight bowl games, and at one point was the school’s all-time leading rusher. 

Three decades later, that’s exactly what he and his wife, Myla, have done as two of his kids have already graduated from Fresno State, and the youngest is a junior at the school. 

“It was just something that just actually fell together,” Ron said about his three kids all attending Fresno State. “It’s a huge accomplishment for me and my wife as mom and dad. It’s just been really cool to know that you have that dynasty and that they earned it themselves.” 

While Ron’s oldest child, Malia, graduated in 2017 after playing softball for the Bulldogs for three years, his sons, Ronnie and Devon, are following the exact path he took three decades ago. Ronnie made the Los Angeles Rams active roster as an undrafted free agent in 2022, similar to his father in 1994. Devon is still in the midst of his time at Fresno State as a redshirt sophomore running back. 

“I feel like it’s kind of been a second home for me,” Devon said. “The family ties definitely played a role in my decision to go here but it wasn’t just that. I knew that Fresno State was known to be a winning program and has always had the ability to compete with any team.” 

However, this second home came to be due to Ron failing to satisfy Proposition 48 requirements. He missed one of the standardized tests necessary to fulfill the requirements, which forced him to sit out the entire 1990 season. Other schools, such as USC, did not offer Ron as a Proposition 48 player, while Fresno State and the late Jim Sweeney did. 

“I ended up going to Fresno State because [former Head Coach] Jim Sweeney reached back out and said I could go there and sit,” Ron said. “It worked out real well, I got to play the coach that recruited me at USC in the Freedom Bowl and did well in that game.” 

The Bulldogs defeated the Trojans in that 1992 bowl game 24-7, one of the biggest wins in program history. 

Ron played three seasons for the Bulldogs and rushed for a then-school record of 3,473 yards from 1991-1993. Ronnie fell short of eclipsing his father’s mark as he rushed for 3,417 yards from 2017-2021 before graduating in 2022. 

Five of Ron’s six years in the NFL were spent as a backup to Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders for the Detroit Lions. Ron said the information he learned from Sanders over those five years are things he passed down to his kids. 

“When Ronnie and Devon were about nine or 10, I used to draw up defenses and teach them why you make this cut,” Ron said. “I learned that from Barry because he would say he knew where to make cuts against the defense because of how they were shaded.” 

Ron and his sons are all undersized running backs with none of them being taller than 5 feet 10 inches. Because of this, Ron has instilled a strong work ethic among his boys. 

“They’re gonna play because they earned it, not because somebody paid them,” Ron said.

“The biggest thing that I have been able to pick up from them is their work ethic,” Devon said. “No matter how talented you are, you’re always gonna have to work or else the next guy is just going to outwork you.” 

Ronnie almost ended up at Fresno State’s rival, San Jose State, instead of with the Bulldogs. Ron said that, at the time, Head Coach Tim DeRuyter told the Rivers family that Ronnie was too small to play for Fresno State. 

“He’s gonna go to San Jose State and wear your guys’ a*s out,” Ron said to conclude the meeting. 

After a 1-7 start to the 2016 season, DeRuyter was fired. When Jeff Tedford was named the head coach ahead of the 2017 season, Ron reached out to Tedford about Ronnie. Ron said two hours after sending Tedford film, discussions had started on making Ronnie a Bulldog. 

However, as much as Ron would love to see both of his sons be successful in the NFL, he’s constantly urging them to think big picture to make sure they have a plan for when their playing days are over. 

“I told them at the end of the day when football is over, who are you?” Ron said. “I can walk around right now and no one would go ‘hey that’s Ron Rivers, he played for Detroit.’ I told them I don’t care if you don’t ever play a down at Fresno, but what I do care about is that you graduate and leave with a $100,000 job out the gate.“

While Devon is the youngest and only Rivers family member still at Fresno State, he said he doesn’t view following in their footsteps as pressure, but instead something that continues to push him every day. 

“Growing up around them has definitely helped to motivate me in wanting to become better and make it just like them,” Devon said. “It’s really been inspirational and has helped me keep that motivation and drive in me to keep wanting to do what I do.” 

As the youngest Rivers, Devon hopes to leave the legacy his father and older brother did during their time with the Bulldogs.