Cesar Rivas-Sandoval enters his first season as the linebackers and special teams coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls. He joins the Cougar staff after recently serving as the head coach at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
Rivas adds more than 17 years of collegiate coaching and playing experience, with a strong emphasis on defense and special teams. Since 2001, he’s had the privilege of coaching 31 all-conference players, two conference Players of the Year and three All-Americans.
He has also mentored three future NFL players in Mason Brodine (St. Louis Rams), Tim Jenkins (St. Louis Rams) and Ogemdi Nwagbuo (Detroit Lions).
From 2009-12 Rivas was a member of the coaching staff at Fort Lewis College (FLC). He spent the 2009 season on staff before being promoted to head coach in 2010.
A strong proponent of student-athlete success in the classroom as well as on the field, Rivas coached 20 players to RMAC All-Academic honors during his three seasons as head coach at FLC. Three players earned CoSIDA Academic All-Region honors, with one earning first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2011.
Rivas served an NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship with the Miami Dolphins in the spring and summer of 2012 under Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin.
Prior to FLC, Rivas spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at nearly every level of football, from high school to NCAA Division I.
He gained Division I experience at University of Tennessee-Martin (NCAA FCS) where he was the linebackers and special teams coordinator during the 2008 season. UT-Martin’s defense earned national rankings in fumbles recovered (No. 5), tackles for loss (No. 8) and sacks (No. 21) that season. UT-Martin went 8-4 overall in 2008.
Prior to UT-Martin, Rivas was the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Kearney for the 2006 and ’07 seasons. During his tenure in Kearney, the Lopers ranked ninth in the nation in sacks (2006), 14th in scoring defense and 15th in rushing defense (2007). Under Rivas’ guidance, UNK special teams also consistently ranked among the top in the nation in several statistical categories. He directed an All-America defensive end in 2006 and the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2007.
During Rivas’ first stint at Fort Lewis in 2004 and ’05, he helped lead the Skyhawks to their first winning season in more than 20 years. During this time, the Skyhawks boasted seven All-RMAC defensive players, one of whom was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and chosen as an All-American.
Rivas previously coached at Southwestern College as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in 2002 and ’03. Here he coached four All-Foothill Conference defensive linemen.
In 2001, he served as defensive backs coach at Anderson University. With their first winning season in over a decade, the Ravens went 8-2 and secured the HCAC conference title. All four of Rivas defensive backs became all-conference players.
Rivas launched his coaching career as linebackers coach at Hilltop High School.
As a player, he developed his love of the game as a safety at University of California-Davis from 1995 to 1999. UC-Davis appeared in four consecutive NCAA Division II playoffs and finished in the NCAA Division II top-10 between 1996 and 1999. A California native, he prepped at the University of San Diego High School and Hilltop High School, where he graduated in 1995.
Rivas holds a bachelor’s of art in Sociology from UC-Davis and a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in cross-cultural teaching from National University.
Rivas and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters: four-year-old Elena, and one-year-old Joslyn.
