Catholic Fun Fact: Former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers is a devout Catholic who has long been vocal about his deep faith being the absolute foundation of his life. Raised in northern Alabama where Catholics are a minority, he grew up serving as an altar boy. Rivers frequently integrates his beliefs into his public life, family, and career, structuring his personal priorities around the philosophy of "faith, family, and football". Rivers married his junior high school sweetheart, Tiffany, who converted to Catholicism. The couple strictly practiced chastity until marriage. Together, they have 10 children and heavily prioritize attending Sunday Mass and raising their kids in the faith. Rivers is well known for using the Latin phrase Nunc Coepi (meaning "Now I begin"). A priest friend shared it with him years ago, and Rivers uses it as a reminder to always restart both spiritually (such as through the Sacrament of Confession) and physically after failure. After his initial 17-season NFL run, Rivers became the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High Schoolin Fairhope, Alabama. He intertwines faith into coaching by using daily spiritual clips from Father Burke Masters and bringing his team to Catholic shrines. When announcing his initial retirement from the NFL in January 2021, he deliberately released his statement on the feast day of Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, explicitly thanking God and honoring the martyr. Rivers has repeatedly spoken at Catholic events, including giving commencement addresses at Catholic universities. He has openly expressed that taking personal ownership of his faith while navigating college at NC State and his career in the NFL was vital to maintaining his relationship with Christ.