mike singletary and wifeSan Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary is a hero to us all – the kind of guy willing to drop his pants in the locker room to inspire greatness; the kind of guy who doesn’t make a sideline reporter feel bad as she makes two painful-to-watch errors; and the kind of guy who was a dominant, a heat-seeking missile of a middle linebacker who won a Super Bowl and made it to the Hall of Fame. And he saved his crumbling marriage to the woman who once said, “I’d sure like to meet someone like him who is white.”

One morning at the kitchen table Kim laid it all out for me. My divided attention, leaving the hard work of parenting up to her, tending to my career first at the expense of all else. “You have to be here for us, with us. With me. This family has to come before football.” … It took me five years of marriage, but I finally figured out what’s really important in life. Football is a big part of who I am. But not as big as my wife and kids, in terms of who I am off the field—a man of God and a family man.

It’s a gripping tale, really. The kind that’ll have us rooting for the 49ers this season. (They’re going to be pretty good, too – as long as they sign Crabtree soon.) The kind of story that makes us feel good about predicting the 49ers will be a Super Bowl contender in 2011.

How 49ers coach Mike Singletary found balance between his career and marriage (Guidepost)