When Jami Howe saw a video of Denver Broncos standout linebacker Alex Singleton as part of his nomination for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award late last year, an idea started to form.

Howe, the Gillette schools coordinator for the Wyoming Special Olympics, thought it would be fun to invite the linebacker to speak at the Wyoming Special Olympics State Summer Games.

“We talked about how it would be cool to get a true inspirational speaker for our games, and so then I saw Alex Singleton was nominated for the Walter Payton [Man of the Year] award from the Broncos and that his older sister has Down syndrome, and he’s very involved with Special Olympics,” Howe said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we should reach out to him.’” 

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Singleton serves as a local and national ambassador for the organization. 

“It’s important to me because my older sister, you know, she’s been an athlete since I was a baby,” he said in his Walter Payton nominee video. “I was going to events just to watch her and it became so important to me because I got to see the athletes. You get to see what true competition is and how much love and passion is in sports.”

Howe wasn’t confident about connecting with Singleton. However, their video invitation quickly went viral, Singleton responded and now he will be on hand to cheer on the athletes as they compete Thursday through Saturday in Gillette. 

“Get ready, it’s going to be a great weekend,” Singleton said in his response to the invitation. “See you guys soon.”

Finding Inspiration

Gillette has hosted the Wyoming Special Olympic Summer Games for the last three years. In 2023, members of the now-defunct professional indoor football Wyoming Mustangs were part of the opening ceremony and were an inspiration for the Special Olympians. 

Wanting to invite someone this year that the athletes could look up to, Howe, who became a Special Olympics coach in 2012 and Gillette schools coordinator in 2018, was brainstorming when she stumbled upon the video of Singleton.  

The Walter Payton Man of the Year award recognizes a player from all 32 teams for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community. Singleton joined the Broncos in 2022. He has appeared in 37 games and was named a captain in 2024. 

Singleton’s older sister Ashley has been a Special Olympics athlete for more than 20 years, inspiring him to become an advocate for the organization. 

“Obviously, my favorite thing in the world is just seeing how much joy the athletes have,” he said in his nominee video. “No matter what it is. No matter the level of competition, you’re getting 110%.”

Throughout his NFL career, he has supported Special Olympics in a variety of ways, including raising money through his Tackling Inclusion initiative and co-hosting virtual workouts with his sister during COVID-19.

He was also featured in Special Olympics’ “School of Strength: Snack Zone” video series, a national video nutrition campaign for Special Olympics athletes. 

Campaign Begins

After getting the go-ahead from the Wyoming Special Olympics state office, the push to get Singleton onboard began.

Howe first reached out through different social media platforms, but wasn’t too hopeful the Broncos player would see her messages.

Then one of the Gillette coaches suggested making a video asking him to come. They asked Special Olympics athletes from schools in Gillette to appear and invite him to come.

“So we brought them in, told them about this guy and how he plays for the Broncos, and that we would love to have him come and we’re going to ask him,” Howe said. “So then they were super excited, and they were all in.”

Various athletes speak in the video, sharing with Singleton that he inspires them to work hard, be part of a team and never give up. 

“Alex, I love you my friend. This summer, I love you Alex,” one athlete shares in the video before the entire group chimes in that they’d all love to have him be their speaker during the opening ceremony.

The video was made in late January and posted a few days later on Facebook and Instagram.

Several people and organizations were tagged on it, including Special Olympics Wyoming and Colorado. The same day the post went viral, Singleton reached out to the Special Olympics Wyoming office saying he’d be happy to come.

“He was like, ‘I’m in, I love this. This is the best message I’ve ever received,’” Howe said. “I hoped the power of social media would get to him, but I didn’t expect it that day. I didn’t expect it to take off and be shared as many times and it was, and I didn’t expect the community to be as invested in it as they were.

“So that was great. I was really excited for that part.”

It took about a week to get the details ironed out, during which time Howe wasn’t able to share the exciting news.

“That was a hard secret for me to keep for a week,” Howe said. “I have a hard time keeping secrets and I just wanted to tell everybody.”

Singleton also filmed a message for the athletes that was posted online. At the start he seems to consider the offer for a few moments before letting everyone know he’s happy to come.

“What’s up everyone at Special Olympics Wyoming,” he said. “This is Alex Singleton. First, I want to say thank you guys so much for thinking about me and this incredible offer to come to your summer games. Well, I’ve been thinking and I guess I am free and I will be there for your opening ceremonies and throughout the competition.”

He Said Yes

After finding out Singleton said yes, there was a variety of reactions from athletes, from over-the-top joy to blank stares. Some even started planning who to invite next year. 

“Some of them want to invite the actress that was in the new ‘Little Mermaid’ movie and I said no, we’re focusing on him right now,” Howe said. “It’s been pretty funny.”  

When athlete Tayven Ross of Gillette heard Singleton would be coming he went online and ordered a Broncos hat. 

“It’ll be here when the competition comes,” he said.

Although he’s a Dallas Cowboys fan, Ross said he’s looking forward to hearing Singleton speak. He will be competing in 5-on-5 basketball during the games and added he hopes Singleton will “come and watch me compete.”

Special Olympian Lucas Kyle of Gillette is also happy Singleton is coming. 

 “He was the one from the Denver Broncos,” he said. “I’m looking forward to him as a speaker.”

Kyle, who competes in both basketball and swimming, said he’s unsure if he’ll ask for a photo or autograph from the NFL player.

“I think I should just make up my own mind once the finale starts, once I get there,” he said. “So, it will be more of a game-time decision.”

When asked what he’s most excited about for the upcoming games he answered, “I’m all ready to win. Ready to win.” 

During last year’s games, more than 350 athletes competed in track, basketball, swimming and weightlifting. It also takes more than 100 volunteers to make the event run smoothly. 

Brayden Produit, a sophomore at Campbell County High School, volunteered as a referee during last year’s games but joined the unified basketball team as a player this year. He’s excited the Broncos player will be in attendance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a professional athlete before,” he said.

Howe said the knowledge that Singleton is coming has also led more general education students to ask to help during the games. 

“Usually, they want to volunteer because it gets them out of school for the day, but then they come back because they just love the experience,” she added. “So now it’s going to be they come for Alex Singleton, but they keep coming back because it’s a great experience.”

Let The Games Begin

Singleton will speak during the opening ceremony Thursday and then attend many of the competitions during his visit. Attending with him will be Broncos offensive tackle Frank Crum, who grew up in Laramie and played for the University of Wyoming. 

The opening ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cam-plex Wyoming Center.

The athletes are looking forward to showing what they can do, and all are invited.

“They can definitely come and watch,” Howe said. “We love to have fans.”