After patiently waiting his turn through his first two seasons, Philip Rivers blossomed into everything that he was billed to be coming out of college. He led the Chargers to a franchise-record 14 wins and earned a nod for the 2007 Pro Bowl. In spite of being in just his first season as a starter, Rivers played with the confidence and poise of a seasoned veteran. He completed nearly 62 percent of his passes, threw more than twice as many touchdowns as he did interceptions and posted a first-year passer rating that ranked right up there with some of the league’s greats. Only one other starting QB, St. Louis’ Marc Bulger, threw more TD passes and fewer interceptions. More importantly, Philip delivered leadership. While guiding the team to 14 wins, he helped orchestrate come-from-behind wins on the road in three of the NFL’s most hostile stadiums: Cincinnati, Denver and Seattle, including a win over the Seahawks in which he threw a 37-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson in a steady rain with 29 seconds left to play. The comeback wins over the Bengals and Broncos saw the Chargers overcome 21 and 17-point deficits, respectively, marking the first time in NFL history that a team had erased a 17-point deficit in back-to-back weeks. Rivers showed a cool hand in hot situations, especially with games on the line. He posted the NFL’s highest fourth-quarter passer rating and its fourth-highest rating in the second half of games. The Chargers closed out the season by winning their last 10 games and finished undefeated at home for the first time in team history. Rivers helped the Bolts score a team-record 492 points, including a stretch during the season in which the Chargers capped off 19 consecutive scoring drives with touchdowns. The stretch set a new team record and was the fifth-longest in NFL history. Just about everywhere he’s played as a quarterback, Rivers has been a winner. Since his junior season at Athens High School in 1998, his first as a starting QB, Rivers has never had a losing record. He went 11-2 (1998) and 10-3 (1999) at Athens; 8-4 (2000), 7-5 (2001), 11-3 (2002) and 8-5 (2003) at North Carolina State, and 14-2 with the Chargers. Rivers’ collegiate totals at N.C. State included a 3-1 mark in bowl games. He was a five-time MVP in bowl games, including the 2004 Senior Bowl. Rivers and his family now make their year-round home in San Diego. However, they frequently return to Decatur, Alabama, the city in which he grew up and worked as a water boy when his dad, Steve, was the head coach at Decatur High School. This February while Philip was back in Alabama to visit his folks, he picked up the local paper one day and read a Q&A with Lawrence County High School student Will Inman. One of the questions posed to Inman was about a famous person he’d like to meet. His answer was Rivers. After reading the story, Philip was so impressed that he decided to surprise the young man and he showed up unannounced on campus a couple of days later. It was a total surprise to all of the students on campus. Rivers spent time visiting with Inman and many of the school’s student athletes. It says a lot about the character of Philip and it goes without saying that there are a whole lot of new Charger fans now in Decatur. Philip and his father have always been close. Steve was the best man in Philip’s wedding and he wears number 17 because it was the same number his dad wore in high school. In college, North Carolina State retired that number before Philip’s final home game. Perhaps because of the special bond Philip shares with his dad, he has always had a special admiration for coaches. One of his favorites is Texas Tech University basketball coach Bob Knight. During Philip’s junior season in 2002, the Wolfpack traveled to Lubbock, Texas to face the Red Raiders in an early season football game. While talking to reporters in the week leading up to the game, Rivers mentioned that he wanted to do two things that week, beat Texas Tech and meet Coach Knight. When Knight caught wind of the story, he made a special trip to greet Rivers and his teammates when they arrived in town for the game. The two spoke and Coach Knight gave Philip a Texas Tech basketball sweater that Rivers still wears to work. Rivers also won the game, leading the Wolfpack to a thrilling 51-48 overtime win over the Red Raiders. Coincidentally, Rivers and Coach Knight had a chance to reunite in April when Philip was invited to throw out the first pitch before a San Diego Padres game at Petco Park. Coach Knight happened to be at the game that night as a guest of the Padres and he and Philip spoke briefly before the game. Rivers and his wife, Tiffany, were married after Philip’s freshman season at N.C. State. They met as kids in Alabama and now live in Poway with their three daughters, Halle, Caroline and Grace. Philip’s name is spelled with one l after the Apostle, Philip. TRANSACTION HISTORY: Drafted in first-round (4) by New York Giants, April 24, 2004 traded to Chargers for Eli Manning, third-round choice in 2004, and first- and fifth-round choices in 2005, April 24, 2004 signed six-year contract, Aug. 24, 2004. 2006: Selected to play in 2007 Pro Bowl...recipient of Rodney Culver Memorial Award as Chargers Offensive Player of Year in voting by teammates...led NFL in fourth quarter passer rating (116.6), going 58 of 88 for 798 yards with seven TDs and one INT...NFL’s second-highest-rated passer in second half of games (99.3), going 123 or 203 for 1,616 yards with 12 scores and three picks...made his first career start Sept. 11 at Oakland and earned first career victory in 27-0 win...completed 73 percent of passes (8 of 11) and finished game with 133.0 passer rating...threw four-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates for 20-0 lead in fourth quarter...two plays before Gates’ touchdown, completed game-long 38-yard pass to Eric Parker on third-and-seven play while being hit by Warren Sapp right as he released ball...since 1995, was second-highest completion percentage and third-highest passer rating for NFL quarterback making first career start in season opener....Chargers Alumni Player of Week after 40-7 win over Tennessee Sept. 17...threw 12-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson on third-and-eight play in fourth quarter...completed 71 percent of passes against Titans, going 25 of 35...during first-quarter touchdown drive that gave Bolts 10-0 lead, Rivers completed 25-yard pass to Eric Parker on third-and-nine play and later in drive set up touchdown with two-yard leap over pile on fourth-and-one play from six-yard line...threw 31-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd in first quarter at Baltimore Oct. 1...featured on Sports Illustrated’s Who’s Hot list after leading Bolts to 23-13 win over defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers Oct. 8...threw nine-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd on third-and-two play to erase 10-0 deficit in second quarter and 22-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates in third quarter to give Bolts lead at 17-13...during Floyd touchdown drive, completed 10-yard pass to Keenan McCardell on third-and-five play and 22-yard pass to Gates on third-and-11 play...during Gates touchdown drive, completed 16 and 25-yard passes to Eric Parker on successive third-and-seven plays...helped seal victory over Steelers with 15-yard run on third-and-nine play late in fourth quarter as drive ended with field goal that gave Chargers 23-13 lead in final minutes of game...finished Steelers game with career-high 37 pass attempts...AFC Offensive Player of Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after recording first-career 300-yard game with 334 yards and pair of touchdowns at San Francisco Oct. 15...completed 29-of-39 without any interceptions for passer rating of 116.8...had stretch of 13 straight completions in first half, equaling third-longest stretch in team history...during completion streak, racked up 195 yards through air and two scores, including 57-yard catch-and-run by Antonio Gates and 33-yard bomb to end zone to Vincent Jackson...completed 14 of his first 15 passes of game, with lone incompletion being intentionally thrown away...led four scoring drives in game during which he did not throw single incompletion, including three touchdown drives and one field goal drive...was even better on third downs against S.F., completing 9-of-10 for 142 yards and touchdown...he converted 7-of-10 for first downs and added two first downs rushing on third-and-one plays...after throwing interception that led to touchdown and losing fumble that led to another in the first half, Rivers bounced back in second half and completed 8-of-12 for 104 yards and two touchdowns (133.3 second-half passer rating) Oct. 22 at Kansas City...rallied squad from a 20-6 halftime deficit with touchdown passes of one yard to Gates on third-and-goal from one in third quarter and 37 yards to Tomlinson on fourth-and-three early in fourth quarter...posted third game this season with passer rating over 100 in Oct. 29 win over St. Louis...was efficient 15-of-23 for 206 yards and touchdown for rating of 108.2...helped Bolts jump out to 14-7 lead in first half by completing 10-of-14 for 121 yards and 97.6 rating...of his four incompletions in first half, one was intentional throw-away...hit on his first four passes of game for 70 yards, including 3-of-3 for 54 yards during game-opening touchdown drive...sensational on third downs against Rams, completing 6-of-9 for 101 yards and a touchdown (141.1 rating)...threw lone touchdown pass, good for 25 yards to LT on third-and-eight play in fourth quarter, to give Bolts 38-17 lead to seal victory...did not throw touchdown pass for first time of season in 32-25 win over Cleveland Nov. 5...NBC Football Night in America’s Player of Day and SportsIllustrated.com Offensive Player of Week after passing for 337 yards and three touchdowns as he helped lead Chargers to improbable 49-41 come-from behind victory over Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Nov. 12...helped Chargers overcome first-half deficits of 21-0 and 28-7 as Bolts scored team-record 42 points in second half...threw all three of his touchdown passes in second half, including throws of 46 yards to Malcom Floyd and 9 and 5 yards to Brandon Manumaleuna...completed 19-of-25 for 291 yards and three scores after Bolts fell behind 21-0 and three of incompletions were intentional throwaways...completed passes to eight different receivers...led drives of 59, 69, 46, 80, 40, nine and 72 yards during comeback and team scored touchdowns on all six possessions inside 20-yard line...his last touchdown drive of game was possibly his most impressive as he engineered 12-play, 72-drive that ate up 5:19 on clock as Chargers held slight 42-41 lead and he capped it with five-yard touchdown pass to Manumaleuna on third-and-goal to stretch Bolts’ lead to 49-41...completed 4-of-7 for 52 yards on that drive, including 12-yard pass to Malcom Floyd on third-and-nine, 27-yard pass to Antonio Gates on third-and-eight, and touchdown pass on third down...finished Cincinnati game with passer rating of 124.4, second-highest of season (Oakland, 133.9)...went 9-or-11 for 113 yards and touchdown on third-down plays against Bengals, including 8-of-8 for 93 yards and touchdown (154.7 rating) in second half...seven of those eight second-half third-down passes went for first downs...was second 300-yard game of season...did not throw any interceptions in 36 pass attempts against Cincinnati, extending streak to three straight games (15 quarters) and 122 consecutive passes without throwing interception, longest active streak in NFL...completed 73 percent of his passes (19-of-26) in 35-27 come-from-behind win in Denver Nov. 19...led Chargers from 17-point deficit (24-7) becoming first ever QB to lead team from at least 17 point deficit in consecutive weeks...showed a lot of resiliency against Broncos, battling back after throwing interception that was returned 31 yards for touchdown to give Denver 24-7 lead...on very next series after INT, led seven-play, 60-yard touchdown drive during which he completed all four of his pass attempts for 54 yards...completed comeback by throwing 51-yard touchdown pass to Tomlinson on third-and-three play and then gave Chargers lead when he completed 4 of 4 for 37 yards, including five-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson...completed 11 of 13 for 148 yards and two touchdowns on three scoring drives after interception...early in game, Chargers jumped out to 7-0 lead on 99-yard drive in which Rivers completed 5-of-5 for 59 yards...was Bolts’ longest drive since Nov. 25, 2001...Rivers fourth pass of game was intercepted by Broncos Nick Ferguson, ending streak of 125 consecutive passes thrown without interception...at time, was longest active streak in NFL...was first interception since Oct. 22 game at Kansas City...led Chargers on three touchdown drives against Oakland Nov. 26, marking 19-straight scoring drives that ended in touchdowns to set new team record...previous mark was 17 in 1981...threw 11-yard touchdown pass to Gates in Dec. 3 win at Buffalo...engineered season-long 8:06 drive late in fourth quarter to seal victory as team traveled 80 yards in 13 plays for touchdown and 24-14 lead over Bills...completed 4-of-4 for 47 yards on drive...racked up season-high 136.0 passer rating against Denver Dec. 10 after completing 15-of-23 for 279 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions...posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in first half after going 11-of-13 for 180 yards and two touchdowns...after throwing incompletion on second pass attempt of game, he proceeded to complete his next eight passes for 133 yards and touchdown...threw 12-yard TD pass to Gates in first quarter and seven yarder to Gates in second quarter...Rivers didn’t have many completions in Dec. 24 game at Seattle (10-of-30), but he made them count...lone completion in first half was good for nine-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson...late in fourth quarter, he delivered picture-perfect 37-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jackson with 29 seconds left...closed out season by completing career-high 79.2 percent (19-of-24) vs. Arizona Dec. 31...posted 117.2 passer rating against Cardinals, fourth-highest of season and second-highest at home...Rivers was at his best during two second-quarter touchdown drives when he went 9-for-10 for 135 yards and two scores for perfect 158.3 passer rating...threw TD passes of 33 yards to Antonio Gates and 14 yards to Vincent Jackson...despite playing with foot sprain, finished first half against Arizona 17-of-20 for 196 yards and two TDs for 120.0 rating...connected with LT for 58-yard screen pass to set up second quarter touchdown in Jan. 14 playoff game against New England...did not play in 2007 Pro Bowl while recovering from foot injury. 2005: Did not play Weeks 1-9 & 11-15 took knee on final snap of game versus Buffalo Nov. 20 took over for injured Drew Brees in second quarter of Dec. 31 season finale against Denver led team on 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive on first series, completing three of six for 39 yards. 2004: Inactive as third quarterback Weeks 1-3 and 14-15 did not play Weeks 4-8 and 10-13 as number two quarterback saw action at end of New Orleans game Nov. 7 but did not attempt any passes played second half against Kansas City Jan. 2 and threw first-career touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd inactive as third quarterback for Wild Card Playoff game against New York. COLLEGE: NCAA’s second all-time leading passer with 13,484 yards MVP of five bowl games, including 2004 Senior Bowl holds every major school passing record at N.C. State seventh in Heisman Trophy voting as senior 34-17 record as starter among NCAA-record 51 career starts second in NCAA history with 13,582 total yards tied for fifth in NCAA history with 95 touchdown passes set school and Atlantic Coast Conference career records for passing attempts (1,710), completions (1,147), touchdowns responsible for (112), 300-yard passing games (18) and 400-yard passing games (7) seventh quarterback in NCAA history and first in ACC history with three 3,000-yard seasons second-team All-America by NFL Draft Report as senior 2003 ACC Player of Year and first-team All-ACC after leading NCAA in completion percentage (.720) and passer rating (170.5) ranked second nationally in passing yards (4,491) and total offense per game (353.9) MVP of 2003 Tangerine Bowl after career-high 475 yards and school-record-tying five touchdowns in 56-26 win over Kansas second-team All-ACC as junior received Award of Distinction from Columbus Touchdown Club co-recipient of Governor’s Award as team MVP MVP of 2002 Gator Bowl win over Notre Dame CNN/Sports Illustrated National Player of Week after five-touchdown game against Navy in junior year honorable mention all-conference as sophomore and MVP of Citrus Bowl ACC Rookie of Year and Academic All-ACC choice in 2000 Newcomer of Year by ABC Sports and Freshman of Year by Football News and Columbus Touchdown Club MVP of 2000 Micron PC Bowl ACC Player of Week once, ACC Offensive Back of Week twice and league-record ACC Rookie of Week eight times during career played at N.C. State from 2000-03 graduated with degree in business. PERSONAL: Born in Decatur, Alabama Alabama Player of Year as senior at Athens High School father Steve was his high school head coach.