Interim coach Mike Singletary is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, honoring his distinguished 12-year career as a linebacker with the Chicago Bears.

Before Singletary got into coaching, he was a motivational speaker.

With the 49ers getting set for what amounts to an elimination game in the NFC West on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park, Singletary addressed the team twice on Wednesday.

Singletary ended his first practice as coach with a 10-minute speech on the field before dismissing his team for the day.

At one point, he could be heard shouting, "I need tickets!"

Say what?

Singletary explained the goal of the 49ers is to continue playing when most of the other NFL teams are done for the season -- and there becomes an even-greater demand for tickets from family and friends.

"Coach Singletary says, if we want to get to the dance, we got to get better," running back Frank Gore said. "That's the truth. We're 2-5 now. We can't feel down on ourselves. We have to keep working and get better."

Singletary takes over from his good friend, Nolan, with whom he has spent all six years of his NFL coaching career. Nolan's first move after being named as 49ers coach in 2005 was to hire Singletary as his assistant head coach.

There was no question Singletary was a popular selection to step in as the team's head coach through the end of the season. After all, Singletary is one of them.

"He could tell you how to tie shoes, and you'd get excited about it," 49ers linebacker Jeff Ulbrich said of Singletary.

Said linebacker Takeo Spikes, "He's a great speaker. If you put him in front of a guy who wouldn't want to play football, within five minutes he'll have a helmet and be ready to play."

Many of the 49ers players met the Nolan-Singletary news with equal parts disappointment and excitement. Nolan still appeared to have the support of the locker room despite the team's 18-37 record under his guidance.

Singletary, 50, was selected to play in 10 consecutive Pro Bowls as a Bears linebacker. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, in his first year of eligibility after a 12-year playing career.

"He's a very inspirational guy," linebacker Patrick Willis said. "On the field, he's had a lot of impact and helped me, and he's also helped me be a better person off the field."

Singletary said he made a promise to Nolan to "take the team to the next level."

"All of the things Mike continued to address - the detail in which we need to do things - will make a tremendous difference in the game," Singletary said. "Those are the things that I'm talking about, and I think when you see the game it will be evident."

SERIES HISTORY: 20th meeting. Seahawks lead the series 10-9, including victories in two of the past three meetings. The 49ers won earlier this season, 33-30, in overtime in Seattle.