Nov. 28, 2005
Former Baylor standout Mike Singletary is one of six former NCAA student-athletes who have been named recipients of the 2006 Silver Anniversary Award. He is Baylor's second Silver Anniversary Award winner, following in the footsteps of men's basketball player Jackie Robinson, who played for the Bears from 1946 through 1948 and was a member of the United States' 1948 gold-medal winning basketball team.
In addition to Singletary, other 2006 Silver Anniversary Award honorees are Valerie B. Ackerman (University of Virginia, women's basketball); Danny Ainge (Brigham Young University, men's basketball); Charles E. Davis (Vanderbilt University, men's basketball); Dr. Terry Schroeder (Pepperdine University, men's water polo) and Susan D. Wellington (Yale University, women's swimming and softball).
The award recognizes former student-athletes who completed successful collegiate careers in various sports 25 years ago and went on to excel in their chosen professions.
A four-year middle linebacker letterman who served as captain of the Baylor football team during his junior and senior campaigns, Singletary still owns six Baylor records. He was named to Baylor's all-decade teams of both the 1970s and the 1980s, as well as the school's defensive player of the decade for the 1980s. The list of accolades includes being named the Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Decade for the 1980s; named to Baylor's All-Hall Century Football Team; inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; and inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Following his career as a Baylor Bear, Singletary was selected in the second round of the 1981 National Football League (NFL) draft by the Chicago Bears, where he played for 12 seasons. Selected to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls, Singletary was named to the NFL Team of the 1980s.
While in Chicago, Singletary won a Super Bowl championship and two Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year awards. Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility for the honor and in 1990, was named the NFL Man of the Year for his community service work and his excellence on the football field.
After retiring from professional football, Singletary co-founded The Leadership Zone, a company that provides leadership and motivational training. He often speaks to Fortune 500 companies about diversity, teamwork and leadership, and serves as a consultant with ServiceMaster Corp. and CoMark Corp. Singletary is a board member of Tranzact and Successories, Inc., and has authored three books.
Following two years coaching with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Singletary is currently an assistant head coach/linebackers coach with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. A father of seven with wife Kim, he is most proud of being named the Father of the Year by the National Fatherhood Initiative.
This years awards will be presented at the NCAA Honors Celebration on Saturday, January 7, during the annual NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The Convention will serve as the kick-off to the NCAA's Centennial with the theme, Celebrating the Student-Athlete.
The Silver Award winners are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, which comprises eight athletics administrators at member institutions and nationally distinguished citizens who are former student-athletes. The committee members are: Cedric W. Dempsey, president emeritus, NCAA; Susan Hartmann, professor of history, Ohio State University; Calvin Hill, consultant, Dallas Cowboys; Gibbs Knotts, faculty-athletics representative, Western Carolina University; Valerie A. Richardson, associate athletics director and senior woman's administrator, University of California, Santa Barbara; Julie Power Ruppert, associate commissioner and senior woman's administrator, America East Conference; Thomas J. Brown, commissioner, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; and Timothy W. Gleason, commissioner, Ohio Athletic Conference.
