ASWA: NFL Quarterback, High School Coach Philip Rivers Named Presidents' Award Winner

Philip Rivers always hoped to be a high school football coach when his long career in the NFL ended.

He didn’t necessarily know if it would happen in his home state of Alabama.

“I thought somewhere in the South,” he said this week. “But being back in this state — although at the other end of the state from where I grew up — it’s been fun because of the familiarity with the schools and the school names and all that goes with it. It’s been tremendously rewarding.”

Rivers, who starred for his dad Steve at Athens High School in North Alabama, stepped away from the NFL following the 2020 season and became just the third head coach at Fairhope’s St. Michael Catholic in the south part of the state.

On Sunday, Rivers will be honored at the annual Alabama Sports Writers Association convention at Jacksonville State with the Presidents’ Award, given annually to an individual who displays outstanding community service activities and overall excellence while exemplifying the spirt of athletics in the state.

“I think Philip coming here as a high school football coach gave our program instant credibility but also helped shine a bright light on student-athletes all over this state,” St. Michael athletic director and defensive coordinator Simon Cortopassi said.

“He’s not only one of the greatest football minds in the world, but one of the greatest people and mentors students could possibly have. He’s also an unbelievable motivator. He has an unbelievable knack of getting the most out of everyone around him whether it’s a player or a coach or whoever.”

Rivers’ surprising NFL comeback in December at age 44 after five years away brought an additional spotlight on his high school team and athletes across the state.

He started three straight games for the Indianapolis Colts in an effort to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Colts ultimately lost all three of his starts and missed the playoffs, though Rivers played well.

When it was over, he said he would do it all over again.

“We don’t get to know the outcomes,” he said. “That is not how we live — in real life and in sports and in whatever. You don’t get to know how it is going to go before you do it. Had I known we were going to go 0-3 and I was going to throw a couple of bad interceptions and not start the last game, would I still do it? Heck, yeah, I would. It was a memorable four weeks. I loved all of it except the outcome.”

Though there has been speculation about him coaching in the NFL at some point or joining a network as a commentator, Rivers is back in Fairhope, Ala., this summer coaching his team as it prepares for the 2026 season.

Rivers’ NFL return re-ignited his daily vocabulary once again on a national level. “Dadgummit,” “Let’s stinkin go,” and “shoot” became common words and phrases across pro football as they have in the hallways at St. Michael Catholic.

“Being from the state of Alabama always has been something I was proud of throughout my playing career on the West Coast all those years,” Rivers said. “Though I grew up in the north part of the state, being here in Fairhope feels like home.

“I have memories at different stages of my life — memories as the ballboy, memories of going on trips with Dad’s teams with Decatur and, of course, playing those years against Etowah and Gadsden, Decatur and Austin and all of them. It’s been fun being back and keeping up with all those teams over the last five years and being back in the mix.”

Added Cortopassi: “I think for him, it’s a full-circle moment from him being with his dad growing up to his sons Gunner and Pete playing for him now. It’s been neat to watch.”

Rivers started every game for his teams (the Chargers and Colts) during the 2006 through 2020 seasons — 252 contests, including the playoffs — then added three more in his return in 2025. In the final three games with the Colts, he completed 58-of-92 passes for 544 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He is ranked sixth in career touchdown passes (425) and eighth in passing yards (63,948) in league history.

His active pro football return put off his possible entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for at least five more years. He said that wasn’t a consideration in his decision to come back and play for the Colts.

“I was honored to be in that group of 26 semifinalists, but I wasn’t holding my breath that it was going to happen this year,” he said at the time. “If and when I could ever be among that group, I will certainly be humbled and honored and thankful, but I don’t count down the days and years and worry about that to be honest.”

Rivers will enter his sixth season as head coach at St. Michael in August. His team will be led by Gunner, his oldest son and an N.C. State quarterback commitment. The elder Rivers has guided the team to 42 wins and back-to-back state semifinal appearances.

He says his brief NFL return hasn’t changed his overall mission.

“We by no means do it perfect, but we say all the time that we want them to be better men than players,” he said. “If that is not the mission, we are missing the boat. Yes, we want to win and draw up good plays and call good plays but if that is all we are giving them, we are really missing out. We try to remind ourselves of that because you do get caught up in the game, but there has to be more to it than that for these 15-18-year-old boys.”

The ASWA convention is presented by ALFA Insurance, the Mobile Sports Authority, the Panini Senior Bowl, the Paul W. Bryant Museum, the Alabama High School Athletic Association and Jacksonville State University.

— Story by Ben Thomas, AL.com

ASWA Presidents' Award

2021 Steve Savarese
2022 David Housel
2023 John and Brodie Croyle
2025 Scott Myers
2026 Philp Rivers

Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral is the online home of the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

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