Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera has already secured his place in history, becoming the second Latino coach in NFL history to guide his team to the Super Bowl.

Rivera led the Panthers to a 49-15 victory on Sunday, thrashing the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Conference championship game, NBC reports. Rivera joins former Oakland Raiders coach Tom Flores, who led the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders to victories in Super Bowls XV and XVIII, as the second Latino to coach a team going to the Super Bowl.

The Panthers will now face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, California.

The 54-year-old Rivera has long made a name for himself in the NFL by smashing down barriers.

The first player of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent to play in the NFL, he was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1984, according to ESPN. Rivera was also only the third Latino to become a head coach, ascending to the position in 2011 and becoming the ultimate signal-caller for star quarterback Cam Newton.

The son of a Puerto Rican father and Mexican-American mother, Rivera guided the Panthers to an almost perfect regular season. The team now stands at 18-1 heading to the showdown against the Broncos.

The Panthers' rise in North Carolina comes at a time when the Latino immigrant population in the state is on the rise too, continuing a trend that began to play out some two decades ago.

Rivera's success may help those pushing to garner Flores more credit and recognition for his achievements, namely a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame. Besides coaching the two Raiders' teams to titles, Flores was also a member of Super Bowl-winning teams as a player and as an assistant coach.

ESPN also reports Westgate SuperBook has installed Rivera and the Panthers as 5.5 point favorites.

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