Alec Ingold: From Being Abandoned at Birth to Secure $17.2 Million Contract Extension—How Alec Ingold Became a Best Selling Author？
Alec Ingold is a fullback in the National Football League (NFL), currently playing for the Miami Dolphins. He began his professional career in 2019 after joining the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent (UDFA). Ingold spent three successful seasons with the Raiders before signing a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins on March 17, 2022.
Alec’s stellar performance with the Dolphins secured him a three-year contract extension after just one year with the team, with the deal valued at up to $17.2 million. This makes Alec one of the highest-paid fullbacks in the league, second only to Kyle Juszczyk.
Here’s everything we know about the football star, including his early childhood, philanthropic efforts, and more.
Early Life
Alec Ingold was born on July 9, 1996, and was adopted at birth by loving parents Pat and Chris Ingold.
Image source: Google
Chris Incgold is a third-grade teacher, while Pat works in an office at a Wisconsin paper mill. Pat and Chris had a daughter who was eight years older than Alec before adopting Alec. Together, the couple raised their children in a middle-class neighborhood in Green Way, Wisconsin.
Alec’s parents loved Alec as their own, believing that Alec was a gift. However, at eight years old, Alec began to question who his real parents really were. When he asked why they had abandoned him, he remembered thinking, “Did I mess up, or do something wrong?”
Alec’s parents didn’t want to lie to him, so they told him the truth: his birth mother placed him for adoption because his biological father didn’t want him. They reassured Alec it wasn’t his fault and encouraged him to channel his pain into things he could control in his life.
“In his mind, adoption meant someone didn’t want him. But it’s the exact opposite,” Alec’s adoptive mother, Chris, said during an interview with the Milwaukee Journal. “I wish we communicated it better because we couldn’t have loved him more.”
To their credit, Pat and Chris Ingold never made Alec feel unwanted. “Their love, support, and commitment were exactly what I needed,” Alec said in a video posted by the Barker Adoption Foundation.
Nevertheless, finding out he was an adopted child resulted in identity issues growing up. “I was afraid of mirrors,” Alec told Life Magazine. “I was taller than both my parents. It was never a secret that I looked different and I struggled to get over it.”
To Alec, football was an escape from his identity issues. On the field, Alec was just Alec, and his job was helping the person next to him.
Alec’s parents stayed in touch with Alec’s birth mother, exchanging letters as he grew. During third grade, Alec’s parents asked Alec if he wanted to meet his birth mother, to which Alec agreed.
Alec doesn’t remember much of their conversation, or what she looked like. “I remember her coming over and us having a nice conversation,” Alec said. His mother then explained that his ending up with Pat and Chris wasn’t a coincidence and that she actively made sure he was given to the best family possible. “I’m so grateful for that.”
Career
Alec showed an interest in sports from an early age. Although he spent much of his time reading—a love for books influenced by his mother’s work as an elementary school teacher—he always participated in various sports activities at school.
The NFL star became an all-state quarterback and state wrestler champion at Bay Port High School, resulting in various universities offering him scholarships to play for their team.
Alec initially committed to attend Northern University to play quarterback but ultimately accepted the scholarship from Wisconsin, where he played a fullback for the Badgers from 2015 to 2018.
Leaving Madison with a degree, a job offer, and most importantly a chance to make my football dreams become a reality! Thank you! https://t.co/iBJiGcHtqw
— Alec Ingold (@AI_XLV) December 15, 2018
In 2019, the Oakland Raiders recruited Alec as an undrafted free agent. Although he wasn’t officially with the NFL, Alec’s incredible performance on the field earned him an invitation to the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine and 2019 Senior Bowl. He was the only fullback that was invited.
Alec spent three seasons proving himself on both offense and special teams, and it showed. In 2019, he was selected as an AFC Pro Bowl alternate, followed by a Walter Payton Award nomination in 2020 and being named a Las Vegas Raiders Team Captain in 2021.
He also won the 2021 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award and acted as a leader, speaker, and motivator to FCA Madison throughout the season.
Alec’s 2021 season took a devastating turn when he tore his ACL in a game against Kansas City. The injury was so severe that he was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
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“I remember crying as I was being carted to the locker room,” Alec wrote in a blog post published by the UWbadgers. “I’d worked so hard to get where I was. In a blink, I went from the highest of highs to a painful, uncertain future.”
Alec’s determination, however, didn’t falter. While recovering from the torn ACL, he started writing a book about his experiences.
It first began as a journal, a way to write his emotions without judgment. He also began reading all sorts of self-help books. Later, he realized that he’d heard a lot of the ideas from these books from his coaches in high school, the NFL, and Wisconsin.
“All these familiar messages started to kind of align for me. It’s like I already know the answers to this test,” he said. “And maybe I can turn this thing into a book.” With that in mind, Alec began to write.
While writing, Alec’s injury healed nicely. Less than a year later, he signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. Alec participated in all 17 games of the season, and his ability to block and catch passes made him a valuable asset in the Dolphin’s offense.
Image source: Google
His performance led to a three-year extension worth up to $17.2 million, making him one of the high-paying members of the Dolphins.
Giving Back
Alec Ingold makes it a point to always pay it forward. In his efforts to give back, he has partnered with several organizations focused on helping children find loving homes through foster care. Among these organizations are ChildNet and AdoptUSKids.
“I never had realizations of how troubling foster care could be. Mine was a picture-perfect adoption story.” Alec said in a 2023 interview with Lifestyle Magazine.
Alec also launched the Ingold Family Foundation in 2022, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people achieve their dreams through education and access to opportunities. As of 2024, the foundation has raised over $165,000 through fundraising events, sponsors, and grants.
Alec regularly volunteers at foster homes and even hosted a Foster Youth Football Summit in 2022.
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Alec connected with nonprofits like Children’s Home Society Florida, Junior Achievement of Greater Miami, and the Jason Taylor Foundation. He’s likewise partnered with the Pathways Program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, which helps young adults from foster care plan for a successful and meaningful life.
“We want to give [foster children] tools and relevant life skills. How to budget, how to write a check, how to save. All these little things can give you a better understanding of how to stand on your own two feet.”
Work As An Author
Alec has always had a passion for reading, but never considered himself a writer.
He started warming up to the idea when one of his teammates suggested he start journaling as a way to express his emotions while recovering from a torn ACL.
Alec found the activity soothing and, more than ever, realized that he wanted to give those who were struggling a path forward.
While recovering, he began writing The Seven Crucibles: An Inspirational Game Plan for Overcoming Adversity in Your Life. The book is targeted at anyone trying to be the best version of themselves, whether that be athletes or young business professionals.
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In the ‘Dedication’ section, Alec wrote: “To all the kids who are worried about being perfect. I pray you find purpose in this book and use it to bring that life to reality.”
The book was well-received, and Alec plans to continue publishing books that inspire and enlighten the next generation.
Final Thoughts
Alec Ingold is a professional football player for the Miami Dolphins. He was recruited by the Oakland Raiders in 2019 and transferred to the Dolphins in 2022, where he became one of the highest-paying members of the team.
Besides being a professional football player, Alec is an author and actively participates in organizations that support foster care. He has consistently supported various foster care initiatives and even launched the Ingold Family Foundation to help teens and young adults in need.
Featured image source: Instagram
