Phillip Rivers Named New NC State Football Coach
RALEIGH, NC – NC State’s McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan has announced that former Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers has been named the head coach for Wolfpack Football. A 17-year NFL veteran, Rivers remains the ACC’s all-time leading passer more than two decades after his college career ended.
Rivers, who has signed a five-year agreement, will be formally introduced at a private, invitation-only event on Monday, Nov. 16. The event will air live on the ACC Network and stream on GoPack.com and ACC Network Extra.
“Philip Rivers is one of one and the right person to lead NC State Football into its next era,” said Corrigan. “His accomplishments as a player at the collegiate and professional levels speak for themselves. But throughout this search process, what stood out to me most was his exceptional leadership ability, his character, the way he connects with people and his vision for this program. He is someone who is deeply respected and beloved by Wolfpack Nation, and I couldn’t be more proud that he will be the one leading our football program.”
Rivers led one of the most exciting eras in program history, starting every game at quarterback from 2000-03 and setting what was then an NCAA record for career starts at that position with 51. His No. 17 jersey was retired during pregame ceremonies of his last career game on Nov. 22, 2003, and is proudly displayed in the Ring of Honor at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“I am humbled and honored to be the next head football coach at NC State University, Rivers said. “In many ways, I feel like I’m coming home. This is where it all began for me as an 18-year-old kid from Alabama, and now to return to this great place as head coach is beyond words.
“I gave it everything I had here as a player for 51 games and I will give it everything I have as the coach. There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard. I look forward to getting after it every single day with an unbelievable coaching staff and a group of players who are dedicated to relentlessly pursuing victory.”
A 2013 selection to the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame, the Decatur, Ala., native still holds the ACC career records for passing yards (13,484), completions (1,087), attempts (1,710) and 400-yard games (7). He also set ACC marks for total offense (13,582), touchdown responsibility (112) and touchdown passes (95) that have since been broken, but still stand as NC State’s career bests.
The Wolfpack played in four bowl games during his tenure and in 2002, posted more wins than any team in program history with an 11-3 mark, capped by a win over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. The Pack’s No. 12 final ranking that season was the third-highest in school history.
Rivers was named the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year after throwing for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns – both ACC records for a first-year player that still stand. In 2003, he was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was named the recipient of the ACC’s Anthony J. McKevlin Award, given to the league’s top male athlete.
“Philip Rivers is the perfect leader for this era in college football,” said NC State Chancellor Kevin Howell. “Philip is a winner who embraces the high expectations we have for NC State Football. He has proven his ability to develop student-athletes and possesses the grit, integrity and vision to lead our program to championships. I could not be more excited to welcome Philip back to the Pack.”
After earning his degree in business from NC State in December of 2003, Rivers went on to earn MVP honors at the 2004 Senior Bowl before being selected as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was picked by the New York Giants, but traded on draft day to the San Diego Chargers, where he would spend two years as a backup and then start at quarterback from 2006-19.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Rivers led the Chargers to six postseason appearances, four division titles, and to the 2007 AFC Championship Game. He led the NFL in passing yards in 2010, touchdowns in 2008 and completion percentage in 2013.
In 2020, Rivers signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, where he made a seventh playoff appearance before retiring. He ranks sixth all-time in the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. His 243 consecutive regular-season starts rank second in NFL history for a quarterback, as he started every regular-season game between 2006 and 2020.
For his NFL career, Rivers completed 65% of his passes, threw for 425 touchdowns and 63,984 yards. After four years away from the NFL, he re-signed with the Colts at the end of the 2025 season, where he played his final three games.
From 2021-26, Rivers served as the head coach at St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala. He took over a team that had gone 0-18 in region games before his tenure and led them to the playoffs in four of his six seasons – including trips to the state semifinals in 2024 and 2025. Overall, his teams finished with a 48-20 record.
The son of Steve and Joan Rivers, he played for his father at Athens (Ala.) High School. The family, including siblings Steven and Anna, moved to the area when their son came to NC State, with Steve starting the football program at Wakefield High School when the school opened for the 2000-01 school year.
Rivers married his junior high school sweetheart, Tiffany, after his freshman year at NC State and their daughter Halle (24) was born prior to his junior year. The couple is also the parents of Caroline (21), Grace (20), Gunner (18), Sarah (16), Peter (15), Rebecca (13), Clare (11), Anna (7) and Andrew (3). They are also proud grandparents of two, as Halle and her husband Joey have a son (Seb), and Caroline and her husband Josh have a daughter (Maggie).