He’s an NFL legend; a global icon adored by millions around the world.

But to whom it matters most, Philip Rivers is known simply as “dad.”

And right now, like any good father, he’s looking for his wife and kids.

It’s Sunday, Nov. 4, and Rivers is about to make his 200th career start, a remarkable feat that only three other quarterbacks have accomplished. He’s standing on the sideline at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, his hand over his heart as the Star-Spangled Banner is sung in front of nearly 69,000 frenzied fans.

Rivers knows where his wife and four oldest children are sitting, and suddenly he locks eyes on them.

We’ve seen Rivers fired up so many times over the years, but it’s nothing compared to what he’s feeling at this particular moment.

“I got emotional during that national anthem,” he recalled days later while sitting at home surrounded by his wife and children. “They were sitting dead across from our sideline. I could see them up there, just looking at my four oldest and my wife, and I just thought, ‘How awesome is this?!’ I’m literally living out my childhood dream, we’re playing in Seattle in that awesome atmosphere, the national anthem’s playing and there are my oldest four of the eight we have watching me at 37 years old playing a game. It was kind of one of those surreal moments. You have those little snapshots of time that you’re just like, ‘Gosh, it doesn’t get much better.'”

Philip Rivers is a surefire Hall of Famer, his bust certain to one day join the other legends immortalized in Canton. However, while football means so much to him, it’s a distant second when compared to his family.

That’s why in addition to the many responsibilities that come with being an NFL quarterback, he makes sure it never comes at the expense of his family.

Philip married his high school sweetheart, Tiffany Goodwin, back in 2001 following his freshman year of college. The couple has eight children (and expecting a ninth in March) – Halle (16), Caroline (13), Grace (12), Gunner (10), Sarah (8), Peter (7), Rebecca (5) and Clare (3) – and life in the Rivers’ household is like most others.

“He always wants to be with us,” said 10-year-old Gunner, the oldest of Philip’s two sons. “Whenever he’s home, he plays with us and he’s with us all the time. Wherever we go out – we go all kinds of places – random people just come up and ask for his autograph and for pictures. It’s cool. But he’s always there for us. But when he’s home, we like to throw the football in the yard. We like to putt on the putting green, watch football and do things like that.”

“He’s so selfless,” added Halle, Rivers’ firstborn. “He’s an NFL quarterback; he’s doing a million different things every day, but every day he comes home, and he wants to be with us. If he has one extra minute that he could do something else, he’ll be with us.”

For all those reasons and more, Philip’s family wanted to do something special to celebrate his 200th start.

It’s a milestone that clearly meant a lot to their father, so they threw their dad a surprise party complete with balloons and his favorite meal