Mike Singletary

Lore & Background

Mike Singletary was born in Houston, the last of ten children. His father, Charles, was a street preacher in Dallas. The family soon settled in Houston. Tragedy struck when his brother Dale died from fumes from a coal stove. Later, his brother Grady, who had become a father figure, was killed in a six-car accident caused by a drunk driver. Singletary attended Evan E. Worthing High School in Houston, where he was an all-state guard and linebacker. He earned a scholarship to Baylor University. At Baylor, Singletary earned All-American honors in both junior (1979) and senior (1980) years, averaging 15 tackles per game and establishing a team record with 232 tackles in 1978. He is the only college junior selected to the All-Southwest Conference Team of the 1970s. Singletary is a two-time recipient of the Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy, which at the time was awarded to the most outstanding player among those playing in the southwestern United States. He lettered four years and set a school record with 662 career tackles. In 1979 and 1980, he won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the outstanding player in the Southwest. (The award has since been changed to a national quarterback trophy.)

Reader's Guide

Singletary was selected 38th overall in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He became a starting linebacker in the Chicago Bears defense in the eighth game of his rookie season. He started 172 games for the Bears during his 12-year career, the second-most in club history. He finished as the Bears' first- or second-leading tackler each of his last 11 seasons, amassing 1,488 career tackles. He missed just two games, both in 1986. He made 7 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. Selected to a team record 10 Pro Bowls, Singletary was All-Pro eight times. He led the Bears to a 15–1 season in 1985, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year that season. He also won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. After his playing career, Singletary became a linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, then for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2008, the 49ers promoted him to head coach after Mike Nolan was fired, and he remained until he was fired after the 2010 season. He has also coached for the Los Angeles Rams, the Memphis Express of the AAF, and a brief two-season stint as head coach of a high school team.

Did You Know?

• Singletary tied a Super Bowl record with 2 fumble recoveries in Super Bowl XX.
• He was ranked number 56 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999.