It’s official… Ron Rivera won’t be leaving Panther Nation just yet…

The 51-year-old half-Puerto Rican/half-Mexican American NFL football coach will be back at the helm as head coach of the Carolina Panthers for the 2013, according to a team spokesperson.

Rivera and team owner Jerry Richardson have agreed to keep working together for a third season, said Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton., after a meeting between the two.
The head coach is “going about normal preparations for next season,” said Dayton.

Rivera’s fate was up in the air after the Panthers went 7-9 this season, but Richardson decided the head coach had done a good job with the team.

Richardson fired general manager Marty Hurney after the Panthers got off to a 1-5 start. The Panthers went 6-4 from that point out, including four straight wins to close the season.

Rivera, the only Latino head coach in the NFL, has two years left on his contract.