After 16 years as the quarterback for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Philip Rivers recently accepted a new job, as the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. He's yet to play his first game in Indy, but he's already got a new new job.
On Friday, Rivers accepted the head coach-in-waiting job at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala.
Born in Decatur, Ala., Rivers played high school ball for his father, Steve, at nearby Athens, Ala. -- both are located in north Alabama -- before leaving in the spring of 2000 to enroll at NC State. He's been gone these 20 years since, but at age 38 and his career winding down, Rivers took the first step in his rapidly approaching post-football life.
Rivers signed a 1-year, $25 million contract with the Colts in March, but implied Friday that 2020 is not necessarily his last season, which means the coach-in-waiting period with St. Michael is open ended. Scott Phelps coached the Cardinals from their inception before stepping down into an assistant athletics director role in March; AD Paul Knapstein will lead the team until Rivers retires.
Rivers has hosted a football clinic at St. Michael each of the past two summers.
“It’s a special day for me and my family really,” Rivers said Friday. “I will probably get a little emotional. I had two childhood dreams. One was to play in the NFL, and I’m now going into my 17th season. 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.”
St. Michael opened its doors in 2016 and claimed an enrollment of 321 students in 2019. Fairhope is a city of 22,000 people located in far southeast Alabama, in between Mobile Bay and the Florida border.
"Obviously, St. Michael's a young school that's just getting started," Rivers told AL.com in 2019. "But I know a few people in the area, and then this particular school, not only athletically what I believe they're trying to grow to, but it really aligns with what I believe in spiritually and academically."
The Rivers family has nine children, ranging in ages from 17 to one. Gunner, the oldest boy, is 11.
The move is the latest in what is becoming a trend among elite NFL quarterbacks. Saints signal caller Drew Brees last month agreed to join NBC Sports once his playing career finishes.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.