Susan Rattler is an Arizona schoolteacher best known as the mother of NFL quarterback Spencer Rattler. She is married to Michael “Mike” Rattler and is also the mother of Olivia Rattler, who played college beach volleyball. Her work as a second-grade teacher is an important part of her life beyond football.
The family built its home in the Phoenix area, where both children went to Pinnacle High School. Susan was part of the family support that helped Spencer handle national attention while he was still a teenager.
In this article, you’ll learn about her teaching career, marriage, two children, life in Arizona, and the moments that brought her into the sports spotlight.
Who Is Susan Rattler?
She is an educator and the mother of two athletes. Sports fans came to know her name through her son’s rise from an Arizona high school star to an NFL quarterback.
Her husband is commonly called Mike Rattler. The couple married in 1999, years before their children became known in football and volleyball.
Her Work as a Second-Grade Teacher
Susan has worked as a second-grade teacher in Arizona’s Paradise Valley school district. Her job involves teaching young children, a role she held while her son’s football career grew.
A 2018 Arizona high school sports feature described her as a second-grade teacher. That account focused on Spencer’s rise, but it also named her own line of work.
The clearest later confirmation came from Spencer himself. During an August 2024 NFL preseason game in Arizona, he spoke about his mother in the New Orleans Saints’ official postgame interview. He called her a second-grade teacher and said her students had come to watch.
The game brought her school and family lives together. Some of the children she taught had a chance to watch her son play.
Marriage to Michael “Mike” Rattler
Susan married Michael Rattler in 1999. The date was reported in a 2018 Arizona Interscholastic Association football magazine profile that featured comments from her husband.
Mike grew up in Arkansas. He told the magazine that he moved to Arizona in 1994 after visiting a friend and began working in marketing for a bank.
He also spoke about his mother, Eva, and the strict lessons about respect he learned at home. Those views shaped how he talked about raising his own children.
In the same interview, Mike said that Spencer’s friendly nature came from Susan. He also called her the family’s table tennis champion, a small detail that shows the home had room for sports away from the football field.
The couple’s shared life drew more notice as their son’s college offers grew. Their names appeared together in school sports features and, later, national college football coverage.
The Family’s Roots in the Phoenix Area
Mike and Susan raised their children in the Phoenix area of Arizona. Their son attended Pinnacle High School, where he became a top quarterback recruit.
Their daughter went to Pinnacle as well. Both children played sports there before taking their skills to college.
The family had deep ties to its local school and sports community. Mike told an Arizona sports writer that he wanted his son to attend the neighborhood school rather than leave for a different program.
Pinnacle had not reached an Arizona state football semifinal at the time. Mike wanted his son to help make the neighborhood team stronger.
Keeping a Teenage Football Star Grounded
By 2018, Spencer was one of the most watched high school quarterbacks in the country. He had drawn offers from top college teams and won the Elite 11 quarterback contest.
His mother spoke to Cronkite News that June about what life was like at home. She described a son who still ate dinner with the family and had breakfast made for him in the morning.
The family expected him to do ordinary household chores. The 2018 report mentioned tasks such as taking out the trash, cleaning the yard, and making his bed.
His Pinnacle coach, Dana Zupke, praised the parents for keeping the young athlete steady as his fame grew. He felt he did not need to spend much time trying to control his star player’s ego.
From Oklahoma to South Carolina: Family Support During College
Spencer went to the University of Oklahoma after high school. He became a starting quarterback for the Sooners and won a Big 12 title before losing the starting role during the 2021 season.
He chose to transfer to the University of South Carolina for the 2022 season. The move took him to a new program in the Southeastern Conference.
An April 2022 ESPN profile said his parents still lived around Phoenix. It also reported that they had already booked flights for all of South Carolina’s games that season.
At the time, the parents chose not to give interviews. Mike sent a message to ESPN saying they were eager to see what the new team could achieve.
The booked trips gave the couple a way to watch the team play on the road and at home, even while they lived in Arizona.
A Homecoming Game With Her Students in the Stands
One of Susan’s most notable public moments came on August 10, 2024, when the New Orleans Saints played the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason game.
Spencer had joined New Orleans through the 2024 NFL Draft. That night marked his first preseason appearance for the Saints, and the game brought him back to his home state.
He entered the game in the second half and helped the team reach field-goal range late in the fourth quarter. Charlie Smyth kicked the winning field goal in a 16-14 Saints victory.
Afterward, the quarterback said he had enjoyed seeing familiar faces in the crowd. His mother’s students were among those who came out, along with friends and other relatives.
Her Daughter Olivia’s Volleyball Career
Olivia Paige Rattler followed her own path in sports. She played volleyball at Pinnacle High and went on to compete in beach volleyball for Missouri State University.
The school lists Susan and Michael as her parents. Its athlete profile records that Olivia switched to beach volleyball full time during her senior year of high school.
She joined Missouri State’s beach volleyball team for the 2022 season. As a freshman, she and her partner won 17 matches, a school freshman record at the time.
Her college results improved over the years. In 2024, she posted 16 wins in 20 match appearances, with one match unfinished.
As a senior in 2025, she played all 28 team matches and won 19 of them. She became the first player in the program to reach 50 career wins and finished with a school-record 61.
That season brought her an American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight Award. Her school also named her to its academic honor rolls during her time on the team.
Recent Family Appearances and Life Around Football
Her family continued to appear at events tied to Spencer’s NFL career. In August 2025, Susan visited the Saints’ stadium in New Orleans with Olivia and Spencer’s longtime girlfriend, Yazmina Gonzalez.
The group posed for a photo with the quarterback, which Olivia shared on social media. People magazine later reported on the family visit.
Spencer remained with the Saints in the 2026 season. The team listed him on its active roster, and he served as a backup quarterback behind Tyler Shough in October.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does Susan Rattler do for a living?
She has worked as a second-grade teacher in the Paradise Valley school district in Arizona. Spencer publicly spoke about her teaching job in August 2024.
Who is Susan Rattler’s husband?
Her husband is Michael “Mike” Rattler. An Arizona high school sports publication reported that they married in 1999.
How many children does she have?
She has two children, Spencer and Olivia Rattler. Both competed in college sports after attending Pinnacle High School in Arizona.
Did Susan Rattler attend her son’s first NFL preseason game?
Her son said his mother, her students, and other family members attended the Saints’ game against the Arizona Cardinals in August 2024.
What sport did Susan Rattler’s daughter play?
Olivia played beach volleyball at Missouri State University. She ended her college career in 2025 with the program record of 61 wins.
Final Thoughts
Susan Rattler’s public life combines a career in teaching with decades of family ties to Arizona sports. Her story includes the classroom, a long marriage, and two children who earned places in college athletics.
The attention around Spencer’s NFL career has brought more notice to his family. Yet the clearest picture of his mother comes from her own work and the few moments when her family has spoken about life outside the game.
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