Former quarterback Philip Rivers is the eighth all-time with 134 wins in the NFL regular season, but the one he won Thursday may hold a special place.
Rivers, who retired after last season, is now 1-0 as a high school football coach in his native Alabama.
The eight-time Pro Bowler led the Catholic Cardinals of St. Michael to a 49-0 victory on a night he described as “special.”
“It’s the process that makes it amazing,” Rivers said after the win. “Tonight was special. Shoot, I’m watching and Dad is on the court, Mom is in the stands, My boys are watching the ball, My brother here is coaching … It was that kind of night.” .
Rivers was hired as the team’s coach in 2020, with the plan set for him to take on the program every time his playing days ended. After 16 seasons with the Chargers and one with the Indianapolis Colts, that moment came to Rivers in 2021.
Rivers follows in his father’s footsteps as a high school coach. Steve Rivers coached his son at Athens High School, Alabama, where Philip was a statewide QB before moving on to play at NC State. Philip Rivers has said he hopes to train his two children in high school someday, but earlier this month he left the door open for a possible return to the NFL.
“I haven’t ruled it out completely,” Rivers told the Los Angeles Times that he would possibly return to the NFL at the end of the season, noting that he would stay fit in the event of a situation.