Though many parts of Plant City’s youth sports scene have changed in the last 40 years, there are two things — more specifically, two people — that are still going strong.
Plant Citians who have played youth sports for the city’s leagues likely know Sam Singletary and Jack Holland, who have served as referees, coaches and more since 1977. Their work for the city may have taken them in different career directions, but Singletary and Holland have always made time for their shared passion — youth sports.
“You’ve got to figure out what you want to do and stay with it,” Singletary says.
Both men became involved with the city’s Recreation department programs while attending Hillsborough Community College. At first, the refereeing and coaching was simply a part-time gig to do in between classes and their games with the Plant City Rogues soccer team, on which both men played. It wasn’t immediately clear to Singletary and Holland that they had found their calling.
“At that time of my life, I was going to college at HCC and had no clue what I was going to do for a living,” Holland says.
Singletary had the idea that he wanted to be involved for as long as he could.
“Growing up, if you weren’t on Pony League baseball or something in high school, you weren’t in sports,” he says. “They didn’t have soccer or any of this good stuff. I decided that, if I got the chance, I would referee and I would coach as long as I was able.”
Singletary worked for Southwest Florida Water Management for 40 years. Even with 10-hour days on the schedule for around 30 of those years, still made time to referee and coach Plant City youth sports. His résumé includes 41 years of soccer, 25 years of flag football and three years of basketball — a new challenge for him.
Holland eventually figured out what he was going to do for a living. Two years after he started part-time work for the rec leagues, a full-time athletic manager position opened up and he went for it.
Holland worked his way up the ladder over the years, eventually becoming the recreation superintendent when the recreation and parks departments merged in 1997. In 2004, he was named director of the department — a position he holds to this day.
Singletary and Holland have seen the youth sports scene come a long way in 40 years. Things have expanded from a field at Mike Sansone Park — which later became the city’s skate park — maintained by many Optimist Club chicken dinner sales.
Their love for sports remains the same, though. Both men, especially Singletary, have as much fun with the games as the kids and parents do.
“Usually, when I call a kid offsides, the parents say, ‘He wasn’t offsides,’” Singletary says. “I say, ‘I know, but I couldn’t keep up with him, so I have to call him offsides.’ That always gets a laugh. I’ll joke around with the parents a lot. When they’re having fun, and the kids are having fun, then everybody’s having fun.”
They also enjoy sharing their love of the sports with those who might follow in their footsteps. Singletary and Holland won’t be able to referee and coach forever, but they know they can share their knowledge with the people who will one day take over for them — the people in it for the same reasons they’ve had since 1977.
“Most kids aren’t out there for the money,” Singletary says. “I know I’m not. Money’s the last thing. It’s a passion.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.