Hall of Fame
Paul Singer, 2005 - The most highly touted quarterback in Western Illinois history, Paul Singer set 17 school records as a starter from 1985 to 1988, 10 of which still stand today.Â
The Leathernecks’ all-time leading passer, with 8,257 career yards, Singer is the only quarterback to lead Western in passing four years. As a junior in 1987, Singer paced the top passing team in school history, only to set a new standard a year later. By the end of his career, he had led three of the top four passing teams in Leatherneck history. His senior campaign produced not only the school’s top passing team, but also its first 10-win season, first Gateway Football Conference title, first I-AA playoff appearance and a No. 2 national ranking. Singer helped orchestrate Western’s three greatest comebacks, including a win over Southwest Missouri State in 1998 in which the Leathernecks scored 27 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes.Â
The 1988 Academic All-America selection, Gateway Offensive Player of the Year and four-time all-American was an eighth-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons, and was later selected in the 1991 WLAF Draft where he spent four seasons.Â
Singer graduated in 1988 with a degree in mass communications, earning a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1989. Following his professional playing career, he returned to Western earning his education degree in 1994 and his master’s in education in 1998. He is currently a middle school teacher and high school coach in Cherokee County, Georgia, and is involved with many community youth organizations.
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