While many families are getting smaller and smaller, with a large number of Americans having no kids at all, it can be startling to hear that a family has more than three or so kids. Well, retired NFL quarterback and devout Christian Philip Rivers and his wife are now celebrating the birth of their tenth child, and Rivers is using the opportunity to open up about his faith and how it informs his family life.
Rivers, once an NFL quarterback and 8-time Pro Bowl pick and now the football coach for St. Michael Catholic High, did so in an interview with AL.com in which he spoke about why he and his wife have so many children and how faith is involved.
As background, Mr. and Mrs. Rivers now have ten children: seven daughters and three sons. Their eldest daughter is 21 and their oldest son is a freshman in high school. Their youngest child is their newborn son, Andrew Joseph Rivers, who was born earlier in November.
Speaking about the latest birth and how it is to have so many kids, Rivers told AL, “It’s awesome. Tiffany is awesome. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first child or the 10th child. It’s an awesome miracle every time. Everyone is home now, and everyone is good.”
He also hinted that the tenth child was a bit unexpected but “God decided” that little Andrew would be born, saying, “We thought we would be the third generation of nine, but we decided to go double digits – or I should say we didn’t decide it. God decided.”
Continuing, it noted that having so many kids over such a broad swathe of time gives him the opportunity to watch them learn and play football for many years, saying, “There is a chance for a Rivers to be throwing it around or catching it or tackling or doing something for the Cardinals for a long time. I’ll be 60 when this one (Andrew) has his Senior Night.”
He then commented on what it’s like to go from being a professional football player to a high school coach and whether he has any ambition to move up the coaching ladder, saying, “I think I would have gone right into it had that been what I wanted to do. But, really, I’ve longed to coach my boys and these other 15-18 year-old boys since I was 25. I’m good right here.”
Speaking about his faith in 2017, Rivers said, “My faith has always been very important to me,” he said. “When I went to college is really when it became my own. I had to get up out of that dorm room and go to church, go to mass on Sunday. That’s when I took ownership of my faith. I think that the center of our marriage and the foundation of our relationship was on Jesus,” Rivers continued. “That is why it’s worked to this point. I hope that God has used me to touch one of you in your faith journey with Jesus.”
When Rivers retired, he said, “Every year, January 20th is a special and emotional day. It is St. Sebastian’s Feast day, the day I played in the AFC championship without an ACL, and now the day that after 17 seasons, I’m announcing my retirement from the National Football League. Thank you God for allowing me to live out my childhood dream of playing quarterback in the NFL. I am grateful to the Chargers for 16 seasons, and the Colts for the 17th season. Thank you to all my coaches that helped me grow as a player and person. Thanks to the support staff. I appreciate the opposing defenses making it challenging physically and mentally every week… I also enjoyed the banter.”
He continued, “I appreciate the referees for putting up with all my fussing. I think I was right most of the time dadgummit! Thanks to the fans in San Diego and around the nation that both cheered and booed. Special thanks to my teammates. Without a doubt my favorite part of the game, being a teammate. Thank you for being mine. Lastly, thank you to my wife and best friend Tiffany, and our children Halle, Caroline, Grace, Gunner , Sarah, Peter, Rebecca, Clare, and Anna. Could not have done it without y’all’s unwavering support. As my playing career comes to an end , the next chapter begins. NUNC COEPI.”
Featured image credit: By Behind Enemy Lines: Titans at Colts – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvnkrsJf0RI, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113874486
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