Michael Singletary (born October 9, 1958 in Houston, Texas) is a former American football linebacker who played his entire career for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League, after starring in college at Baylor University, whose team is also known as the Bears. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time This article relates to Sports. For the Vietnam War bombing raids see Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II. In team Sports the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, or uniform number is the Number Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In an organised Sports league, a season is the portion of one Year in which regulated Games of the sport are in session The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd Regular season of the National Football League. The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd Regular season of the National Football League. The NFL Draft is an annual Sports draft in which NFL teams select newly-eligible players for their rosters The 1981 National Football League Draft amateur college selection procedure known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting This is a List of Athletic Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA Baylor University is a private, Baptist -affiliated Research University located in Waco Texas. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd Regular season of the National Football League. The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd Regular season of the National Football League. The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore Maryland. The 2003 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 84th one played by the major professional American football league in the United The 2004 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 85th season for the major professional American football league in the United States The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team The 2005 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 86th season played by the major professional American football league in the United States Most forms of Football have a move known as a tackle. In most cases this move is one that prevents an opposing player from carrying out what they intend In American football and Canadian football, the sack occurs when the Quarterback is tackled behind the Line of scrimmage before he In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the All-star game of the National Football League (NFL The 1984 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on January 29, 1984 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1985 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on January 27, 1985 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1986 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 1986 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1987 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 1, 1987 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1988 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 7, 1988 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1989 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on January 29, 1989 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1990 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 4, 1990 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1991 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 3, 1991 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1992 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 1992 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. The 1993 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 7, 1993 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii. All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL Super Bowl XX was an American football game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana to The NFL 1980s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since From 1970 to 1996 the United Press International awarded the NFC Player of the Year to players from the NFL 's National Football Conference (NFC Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with This article relates to Sports. For the Vietnam War bombing raids see Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies Baylor University is a private, Baptist -affiliated Research University located in Waco Texas. Baylor Bears (variously Baylor or BU) refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. While with the Bears, Singletary was known as "The Heart of the Defense" for the Monsters of the Midway in the mid-1980s. The " Monsters of the Midway " is most widely known as the Nickname for the National Football League 's Chicago Bears &mdash particularly the dominant His nickname is Samurai Mike. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL

Singletary is currently the linebackers and assistant head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and was overseeing the progress of college linebackers at the 2007 Senior Bowl. For the coaching strategy game see NFL Head Coach. A head coach is a professional who is responsible for the overall actions of The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team Senior Bowl is a post-season College football exhibition game played in Mobile Alabama which showcases the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate

College career

Singletary was the only college junior to be selected to the All-Southwest Conference Team of the 1970s, Singletary earned All-America honors in both junior and senior years at Baylor, where he averaged 15 tackles per game and established a team record with 232 tackles in 1978, including 34 in a game against the University of Houston. This page is about the now defunct Southwest Conference (SWC For the unrelated and currently still active conference abbreviated as the SWAC see Southwestern Athletic Conference An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for Most forms of Football have a move known as a tackle. In most cases this move is one that prevents an opposing player from carrying out what they intend Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Nikolai Andrianov, USSR The University of Houston (often referred to as " U of H," " UH," or " Houston " is a public doctoral/research Singletary's senior season of 1980, Baylor won 10 games for the only time in school history.

Professional career

At 6'0, 230 lbs, Singletary became a starter in the Bears lineup in the seventh game of his rookie season (1981). A starting lineup in Sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins The 1981 Chicago Bears season was their 62nd regular season completed in the National Football League. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his third as a starter, Singletary put on a remarkable defensive performance recording 10 tackles and forcing a fumble. The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City Missouri. Fumblespng|300px|right|thumb|The rate of fumbles by running backs in the NFL has decreased steadily since the AFL-NFL merger. A nearly unanimous all-rookie selection, Singletary went on to start 172 games for the Bears during his 12-year career, which is the second most in club history.

An intense player, Mike finished as the Bears' first or second leading tackler each of his last 11 seasons. He amassed an impressive 1,488 career tackles, 885 of which were solo efforts. A constant force on defense, he missed playing just two games, both in 1986. The 1986 Chicago Bears season was their 67th regular season and 17th post-season completed in the National Football League. He also recorded 7 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

In a game against the Denver Broncos in 1990 he had a personal-best performance when he recorded 10 solo tackles and 10 assists. The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. The 1990 Chicago Bears season was their 71st regular season and 20th postseason completed in the National Football League. Selected to play in a team record 10 Pro Bowls, Singletary was All-Pro eight times, and All-NFC every year from 1983 to 1991. In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the All-star game of the National Football League (NFL All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season The National Football Conference ( NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL The 1983 NFL season was the 64th Regular season of the National Football League. The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd Regular season of the National Football League.

He earned the nickname "Samurai Mike" during his professional career in recognition of the intimidating focus and intensity he displayed on the field. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. He was also known as "the Minister of Defense," as he is also an ordained minister. (For the same reason, the nickname would later be given to Reggie White. Reginald Howard "Reggie" White ( December 19, 1961 &ndash December 26, 2004) was a professional American football player )

Mike speaking in 2000 on a USO tour while in Germany

He led the Bears to a magnificent 15-1 season in 1985. That season, he recorded 109 solo tackles (52 assists), 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, and 10 defended passes. In American football and Canadian football, the sack occurs when the Quarterback is tackled behind the Line of scrimmage before he In American football a Pass deflected, also known as a Pass defended, is an Incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and led a defense that was ranked 1st overall (1st against the rush; 3rd against the pass).

Throughout the 1985 playoffs, Singletary provided stellar efforts in all 3 games. The NFL playoffs following the 1985 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XX. In the divisional game against the New York Giants at home, Singletary provided a fumble recovery early in the 1st quarter and a sack of quarterback Phil Simms on 3rd down early in the 3rd quarter. The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford New Jersey. Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3 1955 in Lebanon Kentucky) is a former American football Quarterback, and currently a Television The Bears went on to win 21-0. In the NFC Championship Game vs. The NFC Championship Game is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League the largest professional American football league in the United the Los Angeles Rams, Singletary and the Bears dominated again. The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St Mike Ditka said that the day before the game, he was talking to the offense while Singletary was in the next room giving the defense a motivational speech. Michael Keller Ditka Jr (born October 18, 1939, in Carnegie Pennsylvania) also known as Iron Mike Ditka or Da Coach, is a former While it started out quiet, within minutes, Samurai Mike was screaming at the top of his lungs and the defensive players were throwing chairs and knocking over tables. The next day come game time, the Bears shut down NFL legend Eric Dickerson. Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2 1960) is a former professional running back in the National Football League (NFL who in his career played for Singletary posted 12 tackles, a batted pass, and a forced fumble in the game. He also provided one of the finest moments of his career and of the Bears' 1985 season in that game. It was 3rd and 1 towards the end of the 1st quarter, and quarterback Dieter Brock handed the ball to Dickerson. Ralph "Dieter" Brock (born February 12 1951 in Birmingham Alabama) is a former Canadian Football League quarterback who spent most of his career with Dickerson headed towards a seemingly open hole over the left guard, but as Dickerson approached the hole, Singletary slammed it shut. Dickerson was stood straight up and thrown back for a loss, while the rest of the Bears dog-piled on top. Mike got up and started barking like mad (carrying on the "Junk-Yard Dog" theme the defense held all season), while "Dickerson didn't know where he was at," claimed fellow linebacker Wilber Marshall. Wilber Buddyhia Marshall (born April 18, 1962 in Titusville, Florida) is a former American football player The final score was 24-0. The Bears would eventually go to win Super Bowl XX by beating the New England Patriots 46-10. Super Bowl XX was an American football game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana to The New England Patriots, commonly called the " Pats " by sports writers and fans are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston In the game, Singletary broke up a pass that would have gone for a touchdown, delivered a jarring hit to New England running back Craig James, and tied a Super Bowl record with 2 fumble recoveries. A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield. Jesse Craig "Pony" James (born January 2, 1961 in Jacksonville Texas) is an American Sports commentator for games

Singletary was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 1985 and 1988. The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995 and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend Indiana, USA is a hall of fame and museum devoted to College football. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1995 in athletics (track and field Marathon January The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1998 in athletics (track and field Decathlon In 1999, he was ranked number 56 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports

Coaching career

In 2002, per ESPN, a group of Alumni at Baylor University promoted Singletary for the school's open head coaching position, holding a conference call (which included Mike Ditka and Dave McGinnis) with the university administration. The position ultimately went to Guy Morriss. Guy W Morriss (born May 13, 1951 at Colorado City Texas) is the associate head coach at Kentucky State University. Singletary at the time had no head or assistant coaching experience and the university president later stated that they wanted to hire a coach with prior “head coaching experience. ”

In 2003, Singletary became linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens (pairing Singletary with Ray Lewis). The 2003 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 84th one played by the major professional American football league in the United The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore Maryland. Ray Anthony Lewis (born May 15, 1975 in Bartow Florida) is an American football Linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of Following the 2004 season, the San Francisco 49ers hired Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to be their head coach, and Singletary left the Ravens with Nolan to be San Francisco's assistant head coach and linebackers coach. The 2004 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 85th season for the major professional American football league in the United States The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on an American football team who is in charge of the defense. Mike Nolan (born March 7, 1959 in Baltimore Maryland) United States is the head coach for the National Football League 's San

In 2007, Singletary interviewed for the head coaching job of the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers, but was ultimately passed over. The 2007 season of the National Football League (NFL was the 88th season played by the major professional American football league in the United The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC in the National The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego California. He remains a head coaching prospect. With Morriss leaving Baylor after the 2007 season, Singletary appeared to be the leading candidate for his replacement, and expressed interest in the job. ^[1] On November 19, 2007, Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw flew to San Francisco to interview Singletary. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city ^[2] However, Singletary decided against taking the position. ^[3]

Personal life

In addition to his coaching duties for the 49ers, Singletary is a motivational speaker and has authored three books; Singletary One on One, Calling the Shots, and Daddy’s Home at Last.

Singletary and his wife, Kim, have seven children. His son Matt has joined Baylor's roster in 2007 as a freshman defensive end.

References

External links

• Career Stats
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• College Football Hall of Fame