Former University of Arizona linebacker Kevin Singleton is no stranger to life’s challenges. Competing as a college athlete in the late 1980s turned him into a strong and devoted individual both on and off the field. During his football career, Singleton overcame leukemia, a battle that tested his strength and faith. Now, at the age of 58, Singleton faces another major obstacle: heart failure. Reflecting on his journey, Singleton spent time with Fox1450’s Eye on the Ball and here were some of the questions & answers.
Q: Kevin, how are you feeling these days?
A: I am doing great. Considering everything that I am going through right now, I’m doing great, man.
Q: Do those early years of you and your brother on the Arizona campus feel like a lifetime ago, or does it feel more recent to you?
A: I remember walking down on that campus, almost like it was yesterday. It was a very powerful moment for us (his brother Chris) and we always managed to stay together. That was the good thing about us, our presence on campus was always felt by others.
Q: You are no stranger to health challenges but how did the most recent scare begin, and what happened?
A: Well, it has probably been going on longer than I thought. I worked out hard as an athlete and now I coach, so I just attributed my symptoms to overworking. I was dizzy, tired, and I had headaches to which I decided to simply hydrate and get more rest. But it all came to fruition on October 8. I got up to use the bathroom, and I started stumbling and fell into the door. I decided to go back to sleep. I woke up to exercise in the morning which is part of my normal routine. But, as I was working out, I picked up the dumbbells and fell to the ground. I ended up driving myself to the emergency room and everything started to spiral from there.
Q: So what did the medical staff at the hospital diagnose you with?
A: There is a block in the ventricle of my heart, causing the two chambers not to communicate with each other. They told me it could be a birth defect, and it could also be attributed to my grueling athletic career. The chemo that I had back in the day definitely damaged my organs as well, especially my heart muscle which is the biggest muscle I’ve got.
There are a lot of things that affected it and I was confused because I am in such great shape. My body was telling me something was wrong and I am grateful that I listened and I am still here today.
Q: Because you have always been such a stoic individual, is it difficult for you to process the information that your doctors are giving you?
A: I think that my first experience with leukemia has contributed to my mindset of being able to process things and overcoming adversity. I thought the most important thing for me to do was to educate myself to find out what was going on with my body. Today I use the internet to research my condition and share information on our podcast platform.
Q: You’ve been coaching at Desert Vista High School. Do you plan to continue coaching, or are you considering a different path after your diagnosis?
A: As of right now I am taking four to six weeks off to reflect mentally. I have my Singleton mentality platform, and I am thinking of going more in that direction. I want to visit high schools and speak to athletes and students about my message and my life experiences. I have always lived my life outside of the box, and I want these students to find their purpose in life too.
Q: Where do you think this Arizona team is right now and what do you think needs to change for the team to reach the level that fans expect?
A: It’s tough when a head coach takes over a program and has to rebuild the identity and the culture of the team. You acquire different players from other programs with different mentalities, and it takes skill and time to unify them. Right now, I see a little bit of separation between the offense, defense and special teams – they need to come together.
The defense needs work to become a stronger force, but I won’t critique the coaches because I do not want to receive criticism myself and I know how hard of a job that is. I think a lot of these players are focused on their individual success regarding NIL, social media, and money rather than focusing on the success of the team as a whole. It’s hard when you have had four or five different coaches in the past few years because the players begin to lose faith in the program. Many of these seniors have been through so much adversity and change that it is hard to believe in the system itself. And now with kids transferring in and out every season, it’s even more difficult to build unity among the players. But that is the challenge of a head coach: to rebuild and justify the program to his guys.
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