Philip Rivers Hosts 2nd Annual Football Clinic

Philip Rivers, 8 time Pro-Bowl QB and starting QB  of the Los Angeles Chargers, hosted the 2nd annual Philip Rivers football clinic at St. Michael on July 7th and 8th.

Day One was for 4th and 5th graders, whereas day two was for middle-schoolers in 6th-8th. About 80 campers signed up for the event. The St. Michael varsity team assisted in the drills, together with the coaching staff. 

Rivers, a devout Catholic, has friends in the area that he, his wife Tiffany,  and his nine children visit each summer. Three years ago, he offered to host a clinic to school officials for the following summer. 

"We were pretty quick to say yes! " says school principal Faustin Weber, smiling.  "In addition to his football credentials, he's just a good Catholic man.  We're grateful for his generosity to us. " 

Rivers, a native Alabamian,  explains the connection this way:

"Obviously, St. Michael's a young school that's just getting started," Rivers said. "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. It has kind of worked out to be able to be here and give a little time. A couple of hours for me and I have as much fun as anybody out here, I think. Hopefully, they learn a little something, have a little fun and, hopefully, again I help the school. …

"This young school again really lines up with everything our family believes in in all three of those areas I mentioned. It's like, 'Shoot, I can give three hours.' We spend a lot of time on the Gulf this time of year, so it makes it easy to get over here before training camp.

How good has Rivers been in his NFL career? Rivers currently ranks 8th all-time in career passer rating.  Only five quarterbacks in league history have thrown more touchdown passes;  only six quarterbacks have averaged more yards per pass attempt, only seven have more passing yards, and only eight have higher career completion percentages. During the 2018 season, Rivers set an NFL record with the most # of consecutive completions (25) to start an NFL game. He leads all QB's still playing in consecutive games started. Last year, al.com wrote an article called "The Top 10 NFL Passers from Alabama High Schools-- and it isn't even close, with Rivers gaining 25,000+ more passing yards than #2, Hall of Famer Kenny Stabler. 

You can read two newpaper stories about his football clinics at St. Michael  here and here.

Thank you, Mr. Rivers, for your generosity to our school and community!