Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera takes in Duke's win against Virginia Tech

<p>Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera attended Duke's victory against Virginia Tech Saturday, continuing a trend of the Blue Devils hosting football personalities in Cameron.</p>

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera attended Duke's victory against Virginia Tech Saturday, continuing a trend of the Blue Devils hosting football personalities in Cameron.

After playing host to Tony Romo, Demarco Murray and other members of the Dallas Cowboys the last two seasons, the Blue Devils welcomed another prominent football figure to Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday. 

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera used his team's bye-week to take in some college hoops as he sat behind the scorer's table during Duke's 82-58 victory against Virginia Tech. In his fifth season as head coach, Rivera led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular season—which started with a 14-game win streak that gave the team a shot at an undefeated regular season—and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

“It was an honor to have him here," Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "What he has done, what the Panthers have done, has been so good for our state because obviously our state is a splintered state with all the loyalties, whether it be Duke, Carolina, N.C. State, Wake or whoever it is. How he has built his program and the culture he has developed there makes everybody want to pull for them." 

Of course, Rivera had a more personal connection to Krzyzewski as a former member of the Chicago Bears—Krzyzewski's favorite football team. The Panthers head coach spent all nine of his years as a player in the NFL at linebacker for the Bears, and he hoisted the Lombardi trophy in 1985 after winning Super Bowl XX. Rivera also returned to Chicago in 2004 as a defensive coordinator and helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006. 

“He’s an example of a very humble, great coach, who allows his people to do their thing. He’s not a spotlight guy and I love that about him," Krzyzewski said. "I think he learned that being with the Bears because he had so many guys with him that were spotlight guys playing on that team. There wasn’t a light big enough to shine on all of them with [Jim] McMahon and all those guys."  

Although Rivera did not address the Blue Devils before the game, his presence was certainly noted by the Cameron Crazies, who gave the coach a standing ovation and tried to get him to sit in the student section. Rivera did post a selfie of himself before the game as Duke warmed up to take on the Hokies.

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