NFL retiring future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers will coach at St. Michael’s

NFL retiring future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers will coach at St. Michael’s
By Fran Thompson
It is fitting that future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Phillip Rivers, a devout Catholic, referenced St. Sebastian when announcing his retirement.
In Catholicism, Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes, and Rivers had already agreed to coach the varsity football team at Baldwin County’s only Catholic high school, St. Michael’s in Fairhope, before signing a one year contract with the Indianapolis Colts last winter.
“Every year, January 20th is a special and emotional day. It is St. Sebastian’s Feast day, the day I played in the AFC championship without an ACL, and now the day that after 17 seasons I’m announcing my retirement from the National Football League,” Rivers said. “Thank you God for allowing me to live out my childhood dream of playing quarterback in the NFL. I am grateful to the Chargers for 16 seasons, and the Colts for the 17th season.”
As he had throughout his career, Rivers played magnificently in his final season, which ended with the Colts 27-24 loss at Buffalo in the play-offs.
In a nationally broadcast interview just before the game, Rivers said he was contemplating retirement so he could coach his son, just as his own father coached him. He and his wife, Tiffany, are parents of nine children (Halle, Caroline, Grace, Gunner , Sarah, Peter, Rebecca, Clare and Anna).
“I have a sixth grade boy who is ready to go and he wants to play quarterback,’’ Rivers said.
Rivers was an all-state quarterback for his father, Steve Rivers, at Athens High School in North Alabama. His father is in the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.
“What has helped me come to this is the growing desire to coach high school football,” Rivers said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been growing. I can’t wait.
“As my playing career comes to an end, the next chapter begins.’’
Rivers, 39, had a standout collegiate career at N.C. State, where he started 51 straight games from 2000 through 2003 and broke several school and ACC records.
He was then a major part of the famous 2004 NFL Draft, in which the San Diego Chargers selected Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning with the first-overall pick, while the New York Giants selected Rivers at No. 4. But Manning refused to play for the Chargers, so San Diego and New York swapped their first-rounders.
Manning helped the Giants win two Super Bowls and Rivers became the most prolific passer in Chargers history
Rivers backed up Drew Brees his first two years in San Diego and over the next 15 years played in 252 consecutive games, including the aforementioned 2007 AFC championship game on a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
In his 16 seasons with the team, he completed 4,908-of-7,591 passes for 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls and concluded his Chargers tenure holding 30 franchise records.
Rivers joined the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year, $25 million deal this past season and played some of the best football of his career after reuniting with former coach Frank Reich.
“Philip is one of the fiercest competitors and most loyal teammates that our game has ever seen,’’ Riech said upon learning of his QB’s retirement. “His unwavering conviction as a leader and elite intelligence contributed to his Hall of Fame football career. Philip made our game better and the NFL was fortunate to have him.’’
Over his final 12 games, Rivers passed for 22 touchdowns against six interceptions. His completion percentage (68%) was the second highest of his career and he led the Colts to an 11-5 mark and the playoffs.
“I can sit here and say, ‘I can still throw it. I love to play.’ But that’s always going to be there. I’m excited to go coach high school football,” he said.
He retires ranked first among NFL quarterbacks from the state of Alabama in passing yards, ahead of Foley legend Kenny Stabler. He is an eight-time Pro Bowler, won the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year award and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2011.
Rivers finishes an illustrious NFL career ranked sixth in passing attempts, and fifth in completions, first down completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He is also fifth all-time in completions of 25 yards or more and fourth in 300-yard passing games. His 134 career regular season victories as a starter ranks eighth in league history.
Rivers accepted the job to be St. Michael’s “head coach-in-waiting” last May.
“It’s a special day for me and my family really,” Rivers said at the press conference announcing the hire.
“I will probably get a little emotional. I had two childhood dreams. One was to play in the NFL. The other was to be a high school football coach as my dad was. How blessed am I to be able to live both of those out.
“I love playing,’’ he added. “When that time does end, you will get the same passion and work ethic at this school and community that I’ve poured into my career.”
St. Michael opened in the fall of 2016 and its football program went 2-7 in its third varsity season last fall. School athletic director Paul Knapstein served as interim head coach.
“It is truly God’s providence that our program will be led by a person with Coach Rivers’ experience and character, both on the field and off,’’ said Knapstein. “We’ve come a long way these first five years. We are excited to see where Coach Rivers and his staff will take us in the future.”
Rivers is expected on campus for spring practice.
“We’re both thrilled and humbled about Philip joining our staff,” St. Michael principal Faustin Weber said. “His football credentials are impeccable by any objective measure.
“He’s up there with the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time. But what we’re most excited about is we believe he’ll promote our mission to form ‘scholars, leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ’ in a powerful, credible way.
“He’s devout in his faith, he’s a good father and husband, and he’ll be a great leader and example to our young men,” Weber added.
Rivers said he hopes to arrive in Fairhope in time to get to know the players before spring practice. In fact, anticipation of that weighed heavily in his decision to retire.
Principal Weber said when Rivers called to tell him he was coming this spring, he had to call Knapstein and tell him to “fire himself” as head coach.
“In all seriousness, I want to publicly thank Paul for head coaching last year. That’s quite a commitment,’’ Weber said. “His willingness to do so gave us real flexibility in this transition.’’
Having reached near maximum enrollment just two years after opening its doors, St. Michael’s launched a successful $5.1 million campaign to build an athletic complex.
As a first phase, the school purchased 40 adjacent acres of land, making it an 80-acre campus. Work has started on the second phase, which will include a field house with four locker-rooms, a weight room, coaches’ offices, a physical therapy room, and a meeting room.
Future phases will include a soccer/football stadium, a baseball field and additional parking. Recently Baldwin County finished a Highway 181 connector St. Michael Way, making the school accessible from both north and south.
Rivers first developed a relationship with St. Michael’s when he ran two summer football camps at the school. He said God had a part in leading him to the school, and the decision to coach there was as much about sharing his own faith as it was sharing his vast football skills.
“Our program will be faith, family and football.” Rivers said. “It will be built on faith, and family will be very important, and we’ll work like crazy at the football part.”
“I am anxious to see Philip trade his helmet for the headset and do what he’s always done best – bring his passion to the game of football and make others better,’’ Reich said.
“He’s fiery and competitive, and we’re OK with that,’’ said the St. Michael’s principal.
Rivers closed his retirement statement with his two word life motto: “nunc copei,” which translates to “now I begin.” The phrase is attributed to Italian Catholic priest, Venerable Bruno Lanteri and is meant to be a way to encourage those who are doing their best but are not always making the grade.
Rivers shared in a Zoom press conference that those words are inspiring for his kids and all children: “For some kids who feel they’re constantly failing or unable to succeed in their goals – whether it’s being good in tests or being nice to their younger sibling – these words can only encourage them to not give up,’’ he said.
He added that his favorite phrase can apply to everything from building a winning football program to doing chores around the house.
“I’ve seen it used also like a big stack of laundry or a bunch of dishes in the sink,’’ he said. “If you look at the whole big pile, it looks like a lot. But if you just begin again, begin again, begin again, and begin again, you look up and then the sink will be clean and the laundry will be folded. So there it is.”