Class of 2022
Philip Rivers passed for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season for Athens High School. He would earn All-State and Super All-State honors in leading the Golden Eagles to a 11-2 record and a berth in the state playoffs.
But, the records and honors were just starting for the talented signal caller as he went on to establish himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the National Football league.
After graduating from Athens High School, Rivers attended North Carolina State University, where he was the starting quarterback from 2000 to 2003.
In 2000, the Wolfpack went 8-4 and defeated Minnesota in the MICRON PC Bowl. On the season he passed for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He was Freshman of the Week eight times and was the ACC Freshman of the Year.
In 2001, the Wolfpack had a 7-5 record and Rivers led the ACC with a completion percentage of 65.2.
In 2002, Rivers captained the team to an 11-3 record, including nine wins in a row.
He was named MVP of the Gator Bowl after his performance against Notre Dame, where they won 28-6 thanks to him completing 23 of 37 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2003, Rivers was named MVP of his bowl game again, after defeating Kansas in the Tangerine Bowl in a game where he threw for 475 yards and five touchdowns.
Over the course of his college career, Rivers was named to first team All- ACC, second team All-ACC, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.
Rivers started all 51 games during his career at N.C. State and had his No. 17 jersey retired by the school.
Rivers was drafted fourth overall by the New York Giants, before being traded to the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning. He would go on to start 15 seasons in the NFL and 240 straight games which ranks second all-time among quarterbacks who have played in the NFL.
Rivers played 17 seasons in the NFL, 16 for the Chargers and one season for the Indianapolis Colts. He finished his NFL career ranked in the Top Ten all-time in just about ever major passing category in league history. His 63,440 passing yards rank sixth all-time and his 421 touchdowns thrown rank sixth all-time as well. He was named Pro Football Focus Most Valuable Player in 2009 while being selected to play in the Pro Bowl eight times. In 2013, he was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and was one of the three finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2011.