The Dominican Sisters of Mary honored Mr. Philip Rivers as the 2015 Medal of St. Dominic recipient at the Scholarship Dinner Auction on March 14, 2015. Listen below to the speech given by Mr. Rivers after receiving this award.
About this National Award:
- This National Award is given to a man or woman whose life shows tireless effort in the service of God via his/her chosen profession or volunteerism, in the spirit of St. Dominic.
- This award honors an individual for outstanding achievements in his/her chosen profession.
- This person’s daily life reflects the Christian ideals promoted by the Spiritus Sanctus Academies.
This award recognizes an individual who lives out this mission in ONE or more of the following areas: Contributed to Spiritus Sanctus Academies in outstanding ways, OR made significant contributions in support of the DSMME mission, OR made significant humanitarian contributions to his/her community-at-large.
About Philip Rivers:
Philip Rivers is a professional American football quarterback with the San Diego Chargers. He came to the Chargers in 2004 and has been the starting quarterback since 2006. His career boasts numerous individual and team franchise records. He has taken the Chargers to the playoffs five times, received five Pro Bowl invitations, and was named Team MVP for the sixth time in his career in 2014. His fortitude was evidenced in 2007 when he played the entire AFC Championship game with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Rivers played football at North Carolina State University. In each of his four years, he led his team to a postseason bowl game, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player each time. When he graduated from NC State in 2003, the University retired his number.
Rivers finds time to attend Mass before every game. His faith is the most important thing in his life and the foundation of his marriage. Philip’s wife, Tiffany, is his high school sweetheart, and together they have seven children. The couple has been active in charity work that involves abandoned and orphaned children.
Rivers takes seriously his responsibility as a role model. He has spoken at numerous men’s conferences and high schools and has been a proponent of chastity and natural family planning. He was a guest on Catholic Answers Live and EWTN’s Life on the Rock. He earned an honorary degree and was the 2014 commencement speaker at The Catholic University of America, where he shared his priorities – faith, family, and football - “in that order.”
Philip and his wife Tiffany came to know the Dominican Sisters of Mary in 2012 and have been gracious friends and supporters of the community ever since. His letter published in the Sisters’ 2014 Lenten Journal encourages young people to persevere as Disciples of Christ and strive toward holiness and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.