A man named Mike

By Richard Brear  |   Monday, October 27, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Mike Singletary’s explanation for sending 49ers uninjured starting tight end Vernon Davis to the showers while losing to the Seattle Seahawks 34-13 Sunday instantly established the new head coach as a no-nonsense guy.

But fans unacquainted with Singletary’s earlier life and his interests off the football field may be surprised by the other Mike Singletary.

Raised in the shadows of Houston’s Astrodome in a semi-rural, predominantly African-American neighborhood, Singletary saw shadowy figures in his midst. Recreational drug use, other crime and despair are part and parcel of life for too many in Sunnyside, one of Houston‘s most poverty-stricken areas. While growing up, lots of locals whom Singletary knew experienced such things as physical, mental or emotional harm, arrests, prison life and premature death.

So, what, other than his caring family, could have directed Singletary down his road to fame, not careening down a terrible path? In this order, his Christian faith and football. A religious upbringing at home and at a Southern Baptist church in his neighborhood served as a dual sanctuary for Singletary in his youth. Furthermore, the valuable discipline and sense of self-worth fostered by his family was reinforced on the gridiron at Sunnyside’s Worthing High School by his coaches.

Singletary’s unshakable faith and special aptitude for full-tilt football propelled him from Houston to Baylor University, a Southern Baptist institution in Waco, Texas. At Baylor, he fine-tuned his personality and style, his infectious blend of highly developed civility, finesse and brutality. He excelled while at Baylor, earning accolades on the school’s athletic fields while becoming an eloquent Southern Baptist minister.

Singletary is clearly an old-school guy; he's been molded by his former Baylor coach, Grant Teaff, and his ex-skipper in Chicago, Mike Ditka.

Singletary's days as a head coach in San Francisco aren't off to a good start, but give him time. He just might turn the Niners around.
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Answers to last week’s quiz about former 49ers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1. Amputated pinkie - Ronnie Lott
2. San Francisco native - Bob St. Clair
3. Completed 97-yard pass - Steve Young
4. Thirty-one comeback wins in fourth quarter - Joe Montana
5. “World” - Jerry Rice
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About Richard Brear

My first newspaper article of many appeared in print in the 1960's, but my fascination with journalism never got too serious until roughly twenty years later. In the 80's, I became a certified teacher of English Language Arts, got degrees from the University of Houston, and began teaching writing ...
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