Philip Rivers was born on December 8, 1981 in Decatur, Alabama. Rivers is one of the best young quarterbacks in the world, and he has proven this time and time again on the field. Not only does he have all of the physical tools needed by a good quarterback, but he is also one of the smarter players in the game as well. When you combine these two things it is easy to see why he will be a great player in the NFL for many years to come.

Rivers attended Athens High School, and excelled both in the classroom and on the football field. As a senior he played both safety and quarterback, and this led to him being named the Alabama Football Player of the Year.

After high school Rivers chose to take his game to North Carolina State University. During his days playing for the Wolfpack, Rivers broke nearly every school and conference record. Perhaps his greatest record is that for most games started by a college quarterback with 51. This not only showed his consistency, but also his determination to lead his team game in and game out. Rivers led the Wolfpack to four bowl games, and came home with wins in three of them.

Rivers was drafted by the New York Giants with the fourth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Shortly thereafter he was traded to the San Diego Chargers for fellow quarterback Eli Manning. After a bit of a delay, Rivers finally signed a six year contract worth $40.5 million.

During the 2004 season Rivers saw limited action, appearing in only two games. The 2005 season was more of the same as he was not able to beat out Drew Brees for the starting quarterback position.

Rivers was finally named the starting quarterback in 2006 after Brees departed for New Orleans. During his first season as a full time starter Rivers put up solid numbers. He did a very good job managing the game which was evident by the Chargers 14-2 record, and AFC West Championship.