Philip Rivers

Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who spent 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most of them with the Chargers organization. He played college football at North Carolina State University, where he was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year for the 2003–2004 period. The New York Giants selected Rivers with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, but traded him to the San Diego Chargers during the draft itself.

Rivers spent his first two NFL seasons as a backup before becoming the Chargers’ starting quarterback from 2006 through 2019. Over that stretch, he earned eight Pro Bowl selections and guided the team to six playoff appearances and four division titles. He also led the franchise to its first playoff win since 1994 and to the AFC Championship Game in the 2007 season. In 2020, Rivers joined the Indianapolis Colts and made a seventh playoff appearance before retiring. After four years away from the league, he re-signed with the Colts near the end of the 2025 season and played his final three games.

Rivers ranks sixth all-time in both passing yards and passing touchdowns—the highest totals among quarterbacks who never appeared in a Super Bowl. He also holds the second-longest streak of consecutive regular-season starts by a quarterback, having started every regular-season game from 2006 through 2020. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks never to play in a Super Bowl.

Rivers was born in Decatur, Alabama. His father, Steve, was the head football coach at Decatur High School, and his mother, Joan, was a teacher. For a fifth-grade project, Rivers created a poster about his dreams and aspirations, pasting his own face over that of a Minnesota Vikings player who had appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover. He made his first official start in seventh grade, in 1994. Since ninth grade, he has worn jersey number 17 to honor his father, who wore the same number in high school. After his father became head coach at Athens High School in nearby Athens, Rivers played high school football there.

During his senior season, Rivers established himself as the top prep passer in Alabama. Though he received offers from Auburn University and the University of Alabama, neither school projected him as a starting quarterback, so he chose a program where he would get more playing time. North Carolina State University was the first college to seriously recruit him as a quarterback. Recruiter Joe Pate convinced Rivers and his parents to consider graduating high school early, in December 1999.

After high school, Rivers enrolled at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, playing for coach Chuck Amato’s Wolfpack teams. He arrived in January 2000 and suited up for his first college practice that spring.

As a freshman in 2000, Rivers led NC State to an 8–4 record, including a win over Minnesota in the MicronPC Bowl. Four of the Wolfpack’s victories were comebacks. In his debut—a 38–31 double-overtime win over Arkansas State—he passed for 397 yards and three touchdowns, directing a 74-yard game-tying drive as time expired. The following week, he threw for 401 yards in a 41–38 win against Indiana, highlighted by a 47-yard pass to future first-round pick Koren Robinson with under a minute remaining.

Against Duke, with NC State trailing 31–28 late in the fourth quarter, Rivers scored a rushing touchdown on a seven-yard run. He finished that game with a season-high 413 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. For the season, Rivers passed for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns, breaking a half-dozen school passing records. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week a record eight times and earned conference Freshman of the Year honors. He became NC State’s first All-American-caliber quarterback since Roman Gabriel in the early 1960s.

As a sophomore in 2001, Rivers threw for 2,586 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a 65.2 percent completion rate. The Wolfpack finished 7–4 and returned to the Tangerine Bowl. In a 34–19 loss to Pittsburgh, Rivers passed for 189 yards and a touchdown.

In 2002, Rivers led the Wolfpack to victories in their first nine games, earning a No. 10 ranking in the AP Poll—the best start in school history. The season took a disappointing turn when they lost three consecutive ACC contests, but NC State defeated Florida State 17–7 in the finale and received an invitation to the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame. Rivers delivered an MVP performance in the 28–6 win, completing 23 of 37 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. That game set the stage for a remarkable 2003 season.

As a senior in 2003, Rivers threw for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns in 12 games, finishing his college career as the most productive and durable quarterback in ACC history. He passed for over 300 yards eight times and over 400 yards four times during the regular season, adding 29 touchdowns. He led the NCAA in passer rating (170.5) and completion percentage (72%), and led the ACC in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. NC State finished 7–5 and qualified for a bowl game.

Rivers ended his college career on a high note, leading the Wolfpack to a 56–26 win over Kansas in his third Tangerine Bowl. In that victory, he threw for a career-high 475 yards and five touchdowns, earning his second straight bowl MVP award. At the end of the season, Rivers was named ACC Player of the Year.