Sports Dads: The Next Quarterback Dynasty?

It's a multi generational story

Welcome back to Sports Dads. This is the companion piece running alongside my podcast, The Sporting Chance Podcast. To get every angle of the story, read this and listen to the podcast!

Now, when you think about a quarterback dynasty, your mind instantly goes to the Mannings. We’ll get to them eventually, but for now, we’re focusing on another football family. The Rivers family.

It starts with Steve Rivers, who played linebacker for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Later in life, he’d coach his son, Philip, when he was in high school. Under the careful guidance of his father, Philip developed into a college quarterback prospect and headed to NC State.

There, he set almost every passing record at the school, led his team to 4 consecutive bowl games, and had his number retired before his last game with the Wolfpack. He was then drafted 4th overall in the 2004 draft and then swapped in one of the biggest draft day trades ever.

The San Diego Chargers selected Eli Manning, who had publicly stated he wasn’t going to play for them. The New York Giants then selected Philip Rivers and swapped him and some extra draft picks for Manning. The 2004 draft saw 17 quarterbacks taken, with Rivers, Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger being the most prominent. Obviously, Manning and Roethlisberger became Super Bowl champions, but Rivers threw for more touchdowns and had a higher completion percentage, TD–INT ratio, and passer rating than the other quarterbacks.

Rivers’ career would see him set basically every Chargers passing record, beating marks set by Dan Fouts and others. He’d set records for consecutive completions and consecutive games with a passer rating above 120. He’d also end up 6th all-time in passing touchdowns, an 8-time Pro Bowler, and the 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Rivers’ career borders on Hall of Fame worthy, but he’s not just sitting at home. As a dad of 10 who married his junior high sweetheart, you might have to work a few extra years just to make sure your home life is comfy. So he’s now coaching high school football at St. Michael Catholic School. Guess who his quarterback is?

Enter Gunnar Rivers, a 5-star QB recruit who hasn’t even started his junior year, but already has offers from NC State and Auburn University. He’s also spent time with representatives of Alabama University and Texas A&M. Through just two seasons, he’s totaled up 70 TDs and only 10 picks to match up with over 7,000 passing yards.

So, when you’re thinking about the next era of quarterbacks, don’t let yourself get distracted by the Manning clan. The Rivers are going to be around for a long time, throwing TDs.

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