Athens High's Rivers, Askins named to state Sports Hall of Fame
Dec. 2—Former All-Pro quarterback Philip Rivers and former NBA player Keith Askins have been selected for the 2022 Class of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
The two stars from Athens High will be part of a class of eight inducted on May 7 in Birmingham.
Rivers was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2003 at North Carolina State. He was the fourth pick of the NFL draft in 2004 and starred in the NFL for 17 seasons. Rivers retired after the 2020 season and is now the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High in Fairhope.
Rivers spent his early childhood in Decatur while his father, Steve, was head football coach at Decatur High.
Askins played basketball at Alabama and was a first-team SEC Tournament selection in 1989. He played on three SEC Tournament champions and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen twice.
Following college, Askins signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 1990 and played nine seasons. After 14 years on the Heat coaching staff, Askins became the team's director of college and pro scouting.
Joining Rivers and Askins in the Hall of Fame will be former major league baseball players Doyle Alexander, Rusty Greer and Jake Peavy, former NFL players William Andrews and Justin Tuck and Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy.
— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.
