By Jesse Scott | Pictures by James Woodley
Alec Ingold has redefined what it means to play fullback in at the moment’s NFL—and what it means to guide off the sector. As soon as an undrafted prospect, now a Professional Bowler and the league’s highest-paid participant at his place, the Miami Dolphins star has grow to be a real man of innovation, utilizing grit, management, and goal to alter each the sport and his neighborhood.
By his Ingold Household Basis, the Wisconsin native turned South Florida resident is creating applications that empower foster youth, educate monetary literacy, and construct neighborhood. “I need to be generally known as a fantastic fullback and a greater particular person,” Ingold just lately advised Life-style. “If I may help folks alongside the way in which, that’s a purposeful job nicely carried out.”
From internet hosting mentorship camps to constructing playgrounds, Ingold is redefining the function of knowledgeable athlete. He’s main simply as a lot locally as he does between the hash marks. That drive traces again to his roots in Inexperienced Bay, a metropolis the place he says every thing strikes “a bit slower” and values are rooted in laborious work and household. Raised by adoptive mother and father who set a excessive bar—his father, Pat, was a two-time All-American wrestler, whereas his mom, Chris, is a longtime trainer—Ingold realized self-discipline and resilience early.
After enjoying quarterback in highschool, he transformed to fullback on the College of Wisconsin, embracing the gritty, unsung place that calls for toughness and selflessness. That adaptability has been a theme all through his journey.
Undrafted in 2019, he signed with the Oakland Raiders and earned a roster spot by willpower and his knack for doing the soiled work. In Miami, he’s grow to be one in every of head coach Mike McDaniel’s most trusted items, serving to energy a Dolphins offense constructed on velocity and creativity. “I’ve at all times taken delight in being task sound,” he says. “Early in my profession it was all about mastering method and ensuring I knew precisely the place to be. Now I get to convey persona to performs, to convey them to life. It’s enjoyable to see guys’ completely different types come out on the sector.”
That blend of precision and persona has made Ingold a pure chief in Miami’s locker room. Teammates describe him because the tone-setter on the sector and a quiet, regular voice off it. “I like to talk softly and carry a giant stick,” he says, echoing Theodore Roosevelt’s well-known line. Having been with the Dolphins for the reason that 2022 season, Ingold is embracing the management aspect of soccer greater than ever. He says he “geeks out” on mindset, technique, and the alchemy of a powerful locker room. “If you happen to noticed us all on the road, you’d most likely suppose none of us have a lot in frequent,” he says. “However soccer brings us collectively. We see and listen to issues as one. That’s when particular issues occur.”
However for Ingold, management isn’t confined to the locker room. His most enduring affect might come from the work he’s constructing away from soccer. Impressed by his personal adoption story, he created the Ingold Household Basis to put money into foster youth, educate life expertise, and supply assets for teenagers who might not have a powerful help system. “I grew up in a picture-perfect adoption story,” he says. “My mother and father gave me love and stability, however not each child within the system will get that. That’s why this work issues a lot.”
Considered one of his proudest efforts is the Cash Mini Camp, a monetary literacy and private growth program he runs with Broward Public Faculties. This yr, this system served greater than 200 college students at Flanagan Excessive College, educating every thing from budgeting to public talking. “We had a pupil get up and share his adoption story for the primary time in entrance of classmates,” Ingold recollects. “That braveness created a magic second of respect and understanding. These moments follow you eternally.”
Past lecture rooms, Ingold’s basis is investing in play areas and neighborhood applications. His Items In Gold marketing campaign raised over $16,000 to construct a brand new playground at SOS Kids’s Villages Florida in Coconut Creek. In partnership with Weston Jewelers, the initiative is making a protected, inclusive area for kids in foster care. “Playgrounds aren’t simply locations to play,” he says. “They’re the place youngsters construct confidence, friendships and recollections. Each youngster deserves that.”
It’s a mission his spouse, Alexa, additionally shares. The 2 first met at a highschool homecoming dance in Wisconsin and have been married in June 2023. Like Alec, Alexa is a former athlete—she performed varsity basketball in highschool—earlier than pursuing a profession in healthcare. Right this moment she runs her personal purposeful drugs follow whereas additionally supporting the inspiration’s neighborhood work.
Life off the sector displays that very same steadiness of self-discipline and ease. The Ingolds have absolutely embraced South Florida residing, settling in Broward County the place they spend downtime strolling their two canine, enjoying pickleball and tennis, and exploring the area’s eating scene. Alec is a golf fanatic, typically enjoying with teammates within the offseason, and each are loyal followers of Circle Home Espresso, a neighborhood store owned by former NFL linebacker Stephen Tulloch. “Being the place your toes are is big,” Ingold says. “We are able to all get swept up in busy lives, however there’s a lot magnificence right here. Slowing down and having fun with these moments is one thing I attempt to do on daily basis.”
That perspective has helped him climate the bodily and psychological exams of knowledgeable soccer profession. In 2021, Ingold suffered a torn ACL that lower his season brief, however he returned to motion in 2022 stronger than ever. This summer time, he hung out in concussion protocol throughout coaching camp, however was again training in full pads inside weeks. His resilience is a part of what makes him such a revered presence within the Dolphins’ locker room and within the lives of so many.
And but, Ingold is aware of the sport gained’t final eternally. What is going to endure is the instance he units by service and authenticity. His function as an NFL fullback could also be thought of old-school—a place as soon as central to bruising, run-heavy offenses however much less frequent in at the moment’s speed-driven sport—however his method to management and repair is completely fashionable. He’s constructed a private model rooted in authenticity, turning his platform right into a instrument for change. As a nationwide spokesperson for AdoptUSKids, Ingold has shared his story with audiences across the nation, inspiring households to contemplate adoption and shining a light-weight on youngsters within the foster care system. His long-term imaginative and prescient extends past his enjoying days. “There’s at all times room to develop in the way you pour into folks,” he says. “I need to construct genuine relationships, deal with folks how they should be handled and create areas the place youngsters really feel seen and supported.”
Ingold is aware of soccer doesn’t final eternally, however his impression will. “If I can use this platform to encourage somebody or give them hope, that’s what issues,” he says. “Soccer has given me a lot, and I’m going to maintain giving again so long as I can.” As he embarks on one other season with the Dolphins, Ingold stays centered on each successful video games and making a distinction. With Alexa by his aspect, he’s constructing a legacy that blends custom, goal, and coronary heart. For Alec Ingold, that’s the final word measure of success.
