J.R. Singleton, former Warren Township High School football player and now-nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks, is the school’s first Super Bowl champion after the Seahawks beat the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl 60 title on Sunday. | Photo: Warren Township High School (Facebook)

A former Warren High School football player, now Seattle Seahawks player, became a Super Bowl champion on Sunday. The former Gurnee resident, who turned 24 today, said that Warren “will always have a special place in my heart.”

On Sunday, the Seahawks leveraged their dominant defense to beat the New England Patriots 29-13 and win their second Super Bowl.

J.R. Singleton, nose tackle and Number 70 for the Seattle Seahawks, is Warren Township High School’s first “Blue Devil” to become a Super Bowl champion. He turned 24 years old today.

J.R. Singleton, former Warren Township High School football player and now-nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks, participates in the Seahawks’ 2025 off-season workout program. | Photo: Edwin Hooper, Digital & Social Content Specialist for the Seattle Seahawks

Singleton was a Gurnee resident and a 2020 graduate of Warren Township High School. He played for the school across all four years.

Singleton said that Sunday’s achievement is “an absolute euphoric moment in my football career.”

“It’s taken so much hard work and mental fortitude to get here,” he said. “This is why Warren Township High School will always have a special place in my heart.”

J.R. Singleton is pictured playing for Warren Township High School. He is now a nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks and the school’s first Super Bowl champion after the Seahawks took the Super Bowl 60 title on Sunday. | Photo: Warren Township High School (Facebook)

Bryan McNulty, the head coach for Warren’s football program for over a decade, said his former player’s success doesn’t come as a surprise.

“None of us are surprised by it at all,” McNulty told Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

McNulty first met Singleton when he was in 8th grade.

Several coaches were keen on Singleton’s performance during a physical drill.

“He was just the big kid who moved pretty well, and we thought he’d be a solid player for us,” McNulty said.

Former Warren Township High School football player J.R. Singleton, who is now a nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks, speaks to players at Warren’s football camp in July 2025. | Photo: Warren Township High School (Facebook)

Singleton progressed through the program’s recruiting cycle and became part of the freshman class that later took Warren to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Finals in 2019.

“He’s a really competitive kid,” McNulty said, adding that the man has a super high character.

Motivated by his two strong parents, Singleton eventually became a team captain for Warren.

After graduating in 2020, Singleton played as a defensive lineman for the Iowa State Cyclones for the next four years.

During his time at Iowa State, Singleton played 46 games and, in 2024, earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention and became a co-captain for the team.

J.R. Singleton for the Iowa State Cyclones (left) and Malachai McNeal for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (right) – both graduates of Warren Township High School. | Photo: Warren Township High School (Facebook)

In May 2025, the Seahawks signed Singleton as an undrafted free agent, and in August 2025 was signed to the team’s practice squad.

“When one of your own student-athletes not only makes it to the professional level, but reaches the pinnacle, there are no words to express the amount of pride I have for that individual,” Aimee Lonigro, the Director of Athletics for Warren, told Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

Lonigro said that Singleton’s success “has a ripple effect on our entire community.”

“He is a very talented football player but more importantly an exceptional human being,” Lonigro added.

J.R. Singleton speaks to kids participating in the Gurnee Park District’s youth sports camps in July 2025. | Photo: Gurnee Park District (Facebook)

Despite his busy career at Iowa State and the Seahawks, Singleton continued to contribute to Warren’s football program and the Gurnee community as a whole.

He would frequently spend the weekends traveling back to Gurnee to ride on the buses to Warren’s away games and interact with the coaches and players.

As a former Gurnee Park District camper, Singleton would also serve as a mentor and inspiration at summer youth football camps both at Warren and for the park district.

“I used to be one of those kids, and I think that really laid the foundation for me loving sports,” Singleton said in July 2025. He added that he was grateful for his camp counselors back in the day.

J.R. Singleton signs autographs and mentors kids participating in the Gurnee Park District’s youth sports camps in July 2025. | Photo: Gurnee Park District (Facebook)

“He always would make time to come back and talk to the program and spend time with us,” McNulty said. “That really meant a lot to us,” he said, adding that Singleton is a model student-athlete for the community.

Singleton hopes to encourage current Warren students to take the leap and participate in the school’s football program.

“If you have a chance to go out and play football for Warren, you should, not because of the jersey or the wins, but because of the lessons it will teach and the relationships you’ll make,” Singleton said. “Coach Mac and his entire staff are class acts, and I can guarantee your child will grow.”

“To top that off, I had teachers, deans, and supporting staff that picked me up when I wasn’t where I wanted to be and ultimately gave me great examples on how to carry myself as an adult and be eager to help others when the opportunity is presented,” Singleton added.

“I am truly blessed to call myself an alumni and can say with my whole heart and a sound mind there’s no other school and community like the one in Gurnee, Illinois.”

J.R. Singleton pictured with his former head coach, Bryan McNulty, and other Warren Township High School football players. | Photo: Warren Township High School (Facebook)

Gurnee Mayor Thomas Hood told Lake & McHenry County Scanner, “J.R. Singleton has shown true talent and dedication in rising to the highest level of the National Football League.”

“It is exciting for the Village when a resident excels as J.R. did at Warren Township High School and beyond,” the mayor said. “We are looking forward to what the future holds for J.R.”

Coach McNulty said that at the end of the day, Singleton is still a “Warren kid, Gurnee kid.”

“He really is an outstanding person – obviously a great athlete, but really a better person,” McNulty said. “We’re all really, really proud of him.”