A decade from now, Ilich Rodríguez-Rivas hopes to be a team doctor in the NFL or college ranks.
There's a good chance his recent experience with the Chargers helps him achieve that goal.
Rodríguez-Rivas, UCLA medical student at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, recently spent nine days with the organization to get an inside look at how things operate behind the scenes.
"I'm still three to four years away from fellowship but I wanted to get an early start," Rodríguez-Rivas said. "This seemed like the perfect fit."
Rodríguez-Rivas was a 2025 participant in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, which was launched in 2022 with the goal of increasing the pipeline of diverse students interested in careers in sports medicine.
The initiative is a joint program of the NFL, NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS). Over time, the objective is to diversify NFL club medical staffs.
The Bolts were one of the eight participating teams when the program launched three years ago. Marco Zucconi, the Chargers Director of Player Health, Wellness & Performance Marco Zucconi, said the team looks forward to the program each summer.
"It is really important to me that we continue to be on the forefront of promoting diversity in sports medicine," Zucconi said. "As one of the first eight teams that participated in the Diversity in Sports Medicine pipeline initiative in 2022, we continue to do our best to promote a great learning environment for our medical students as they rotate through.
"Our goal in being a part of this program is to expose the medical students to all aspects of a sports medicine and performance team," Zucconi added. "We allow them to meet with the sports medicine staff, shadow the doctors in and out of the facility, meet with mental health clinicians and strength and conditioning staff to show the coordination that goes into player care at the NFL level."
View photos of the Chargers 53-man roster as of Oct. 17, 2025.
#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley
#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley
#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston
#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston
#2 | DB | Elijah Molden
#2 | DB | Elijah Molden
#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.
#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.
#5 | QB | Trey Lance
#5 | QB | Trey Lance
#9 | WR | Tre' Harris
#9 | WR | Tre' Harris
#10 | QB | Justin Herbert
#10 | QB | Justin Herbert
#11 | K | Cameron Dicker
#11 | K | Cameron Dicker
#12 | WR | Derius Daivs
#12 | WR | Derius Daivs
#13 | WR | Keenan Allen
#13 | WR | Keenan Allen
#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey
#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey
#16 | P | JK Scott
#16 | P | JK Scott
#20 | CB | Cam Hart
#20 | CB | Cam Hart
#23 | S | Tony Jefferson
#23 | S | Tony Jefferson
#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste
#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste
#26 | CB | Donte Jackson
#26 | CB | Donte Jackson
#27 | S | RJ Mickens
#27 | S | RJ Mickens
#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins
#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins
#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still
#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still
#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal
#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal
#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor
#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor
#40 | S | Kendall Williamson
#40 | S | Kendall Williamson
#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk
#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk
#43 | LB | Troy Dye
#43 | LB | Troy Dye
#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock
#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock
#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu
#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu
#46 | CB | Nikko Reed
#46 | CB | Nikko Reed
#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree
#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree
#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy
#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy
#53 | LB | Del'Shawn Phillips
#53 | OLB | Del'Shawn Phillips
#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard
#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard
#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax
#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax
#66 | T | Bobby Hart
#66 | T | Bobby Hart
#67 | OL | Foster Sarell
#67 | OL | Foster Sarell
#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer
#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer
#73 | G | Mekhi Becton
#73 | OL | Mekhi Becton
#74 | T | Austin Deculus
#74 | OL | Austin Deculus
#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman
#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman
#76 | T | Joe Alt
#76 | T | Joe Alt
#77 | G | Zion Johnson
#77 | G | Zion Johnson
#78 | C | Andre James
#78 | C | Andre James
#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III
#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III
#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin
#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin
#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith
#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith
#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden
#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden
#89 | TE | Will Dissly
#89 | TE | Will Dissly
#90 | DL | Tear Tart
#90 | DL | Tear Tart
#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe
#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe
#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia
#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia
#96 | DL | Naquan Jones
#96 | DL | Naquan Jones
#98 | OLB | Odafe Oweh
#98 | OLB | Odafe Oweh
#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell
#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell
#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei
#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei
#31 | RB | Nyheim Hines
#31 | RB | Nyheim Hines
32 | RB | Jaret Patterson
#32 | RB | Jaret Patterson
#34 | RB | Amar Johnson
#34 | RB | Amar Johnson
#35 | CB | Myles Purchase
#35 | CB | Myles Purchase
#37 | CB | Isas Waxter
#37 | CB | Isas Waxter
#38 | LB | Emany Johnson
#38 | LB | Emany Johnson
#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin
#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin
#62 | C/G | Sam Mustipher
#62 | C/G | Sam Mustipher
#71 | G | Branson Taylor
#71 | G | Branson Taylor
#72 | OT | David Sharpe
#72 | OT | David Sharpe
81 | WR | Dalevon Campbell
81 | WR | Dalevon Campbell
#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson
#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson
#87 | WR | Luke Grimm
#87 | WR | Luke Grimm
#88 | WR | Jalen Reagor
#88 | WR | Jalen Reagor
#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards
#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards
#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph
#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph
#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton
#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton
#22 | RB | Najee Harris
#22 | RB | Najee Harris
#25 | LB | Junior Colson
#25 | LB | Junior Colson
#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun
#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun
#39 | CB | Eric Rogers
#39 | CB | Eric Rogers
#69 | DL | Josh Fuga
#69 | DL | Josh Fuga
#70 | T | Rashawn Slater
#70 | T | Rashawn Slater
#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand
#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand
#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman
#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman
#33 | DB | Deane Leonard
#33 | DB | Deane Leonard
#47 | LS | Josh Harris
#47 | LS | Josh Harris
#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack
#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack
#67 | T | Savion Washington
#67 | T | Savion Washington
Rodríguez-Rivas' time with the Chargers included just that, as he was also able to be involved with two preseason games.
Rodríguez-Rivas said he enjoyed learning from Frank Petrigliano, the Chargers Head Orthopedic Team Physician, and Joshua Goldman, a Chargers team doctor.
Rodríguez-Rivas also spent time with Zucconi and his staff of athletic trainers on a daily basis.
"I was very fortunate to have this opportunity and get an idea for what the culture is," Rodríguez-Rivas said. "To have a successful team, you have to have this integration and everything can't be siloed off.
"The athletic trainers, the medical side, the strength staff … they all have to work in unison," Rodríguez-Rivas added. "From the outside, you really can't appreciate that. Being there, even just for nine days, I was able to appreciate how seamlessly they all communicate. It was really a firsthand look at how they all make things happen."
Zucconi said Rodríguez-Rivas was superb throughout his time with the Chargers.
"Ilich did an excellent job while he was with us," Zucconi said. "From our first Zoom interview, he showed a great demeanor for learning and observation.
"He asked great questions while he was here and was able to witness real encounters between our staff and players," Zucconi added. "We hope that this provides an experience that encourages Ilich and some of his peers to seek out opportunities in sports medicine later in their career."
Rodríguez-Rivas will graduate from UCLA Medical School in June and then plans to pursue a residency program for emergency medicine.
You can bet he'll be following the Chargers along the way, too.
"They're a pretty easy club to root for," Rodríguez-Rivas said.
