From Greyhound to Seahawk to Bear

By Robert Graham

Less than a month before graduating in 1991, ENMU Greyhound Michael Sinclair (Attended 86-91) was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 6th round. Now 22 years later, Mike is the assistant defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.

Mike Sinclair

Courtesy Bill Smith/Chicago Bears

Mike played in the NFL for 11 seasons and was selected to three Pro Bowls. He led the NFL with 16.5 sacks in 1998 and also set the single-season sack record for the Seahawks that year.

He retired from playing in 2002 and says “the transition from playing to coaching was easy; I was living in it the whole while.” In 2005, he began his coaching career at West Texas A&M. There he coached the defensive line and helped lead them to two Lone Star Conference Championships in 2005 and 2006. Sinclair also coached in NFL Europe for the Hamburg Sea Devils, leading his team to two World Bowl titles in 2007 and 2008. From 2008-2012 he was the defensive line coach of the Montreal Alouettes where he first worked under Coach Marc Trestman, who is now the Chicago Bears head coach. The Alouettes won two Grey Cup Championships in 2009 and 2010. He then joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders after the 2012 season as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach.

Assistant Defensive Line Coach Mike Sinclair & Free Agent Devin Aromashodu during individual skills

Courtesy Matt Koch/Chicago Bears

In contemplating his successful football career, Mike realized, “the faster you can learn to be a professional, the more longevity you can have in this business. You also want to be the best teacher, not just of football but also of life lessons. I thank Eastern for my football fundamentals.”