Back in the day when a kid grew up in a neighborhood and he was a good athlete he went to the neighborhood schools. Now parents and kids are always looking to go to a school that they think has a better program that will help make them a better player.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to see families like the Culver City Singermans. The father, Robert was a star lineman for the Centaurs in the 1990s and his son Bobby is also a star lineman for the 2022 Culver City football team.
“I knew my son was going to be a football player when he was two years old. That’s when he got in a three-point stance,” said Robert. “It means the world to me, especially him playing on the same field that I played on. It brings a tear to my eye to see him doing what he is doing because he is a little guy, but he plays big. He plays with a lot of heart and that means a lot to me.”
The main reason Robert wanted his son to be a student athlete at Culver City is because he loves Culver City. “This is my hometown. I was born and raised here. I went away to Florida but then I came right back. I have two more boys, nine and three years old that are growing up in Culver City and they will also be playing for Culver City. Family is everything to me. It’s always family first. That’s the foundation. Without a family there’s nothing.”
Son Bobby, who is a senior, credits his father for helping him become a good student athlete. “I was nine years old when coach (Jahmal) Wright called my dad and asked him if I wanted to play football. That’s where it all started, that phone call from coach Wright. I am differently going to miss football after high school. I am still trying to figure out if I want to play college football.” Coach Wright is the head football coach at Culver City high school.
Right now, Bobby has at least one more high school game and possibly more games if the Centaurs make the playoffs. They face Santa Monica Friday on Senior Night and hopefully the playoffs. The Centaurs can still win the league championship and make a deep run into the playoffs, but Bobby knows his team will need to stay focused. “I love this team,” said Bobby.
We make a lot of mental errors, but I know we will finish the season strong. No errors and no miss assignments. We need to just be a team and play hard together.”
Like most strong families the father is the leader. While the Singermans were being interviewed on the football field after a recent football game at Culver City about ten members of the family were hugging and laughing and the adults were playing with the kids. “My upbringing and all the people around me and the coaches I played for played an important part in who I am today,” said Robert. “Especially coach (Cornell) Myles. I owe a lot to coach Myles. I was fortunate to enough to have good coaches here at Culver City.” Coach Myles has been a football coach for Culver City for over 25 years.
Stars fade away buy legends never die. “Being a hometown kid, it means a lot to me,” said Robert. “Your legacy is what you want to pass on to the younger generation, to your children. You want to leave something that your kids want to strive for. To me that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about me, it’s about the younger generation.”
In the Singerman family, the motto is: The family that plays together is the family that stays together.