Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary was brought in to play second fiddle to incumbent starter Dameon Pierce. His early-season stats bear that out, Singletary turned 27 carries into just 95 yards during the first month of the 2023 season.
But a midseason injury to Pierce opened the door for Singletary to entrench himself as the lead back, and he did so emphatically. Singletary carried the ball 52 times for 262 yards between Weeks 10 and 11. He’d maintain a featured role from then on.
The fifth-year pro finished the regular season with a career-best 898 rushing yards. He also broke 1,000 scrimmage yards for the third season in a row.
The Texans are banged up at the skill positions heading into this Saturday’s playoff-opening tilt against the visiting Cleveland Browns. This means Singletary could be in line for a healthy workload once again — a proposition the 26-year-old running back is no doubt eager for.
And one that his parents, Devonn Singletary and Sabrina Clark, are surely rooting for as well.
Who Are Devin Singletary’s Parents?
Despite what a popular misconception might have you believe, Singletary has no relation to famed former Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary. There are often generational ties between pro football players, but those two sharing a last name is a mere coincidence.
Devin Singletary was born to Devonn Singletary and Sabrina Clark in September 1997. The couple split up at some point in the intervening years but remain steadfast in support of their son’s athletic career.
Info on the two is somewhat scarce in the public sphere, but one doesn’t have to dig too deep to uncover some interesting details.
Singletary was raised in South Florida and revealed in an interview with photographer Howard Schatz that he grew up expecting to attend Deerfield Beach High School, where both of his parents graduated from. As fate would have it, his mother, Sabrina, had other plans for him.
“My mom worked in Delray Beach which is about 20 minutes away from Deerfield Beach. She worked at the hospital; next to the hospital was a school called American Heritage. It’s a private school. You’ve got to have money, or you got to be able to act or play an instrument to get a scholarship for sports to go to this school.”
Singletary went on to reveal that he visited the private school at the recommendation of a Deerfield native with ties to the football program. That eventually led to him attending the upscale institution and landed him more scholarship opportunities down the road. A happenstance he attributes, in part, to his mother’s faith.
“My mom is very spiritual. She would say that God would tell her, this is where your son is going to go. But she could not afford it.”
Devin’s successes at American Heritage led him to a successful collegiate career at Florida Atlantic University and, ultimately, to the professional ranks. As you can see in the above clip, his mother remains one of his most ardent supporters.
Also of interest in that clip is a custom Coca-Cola bottle, one which encourages the beverage consumer to share a Coke with “Motor.”
That moniker is about Singletary, and it’s one he earned for his relentless, full-speed-ahead running style. But it’s also a nickname that predates him by a generation.
Devin’s father, Devonn Singletary, was nicknamed “Motor” as well during his football-playing days. He played collegiately at Division 1 Norfolk State University.
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What position he played and what statistics he registered are not readily available. However, given the nickname he earned and the genetics he passed on, it seems safe to surmise he was probably quite the baller in his heyday.
Devin appeared on a team-produced podcast for the Buffalo Bills a few years back to discuss Father’s Day, amid other subjects, and revealed in the discussion that his father had graduated to “Big Motor.” He also stated that his future son will likely be referred to as “Motor Third.”
You can bet Devonn, Sabrina, and Singletary’s entire family will be rooting for the standout running back to keep the Texans motoring right on through the playoffs.
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