NFL player shares smiles and advice at Abrams Elementary

Alec Ingold has accomplished what very few people in northeast Wisconsin have — being a fullback in the National Football League.

Ingold paid a visit April 9 to Abrams Elementary School to let students know that they can have their dreams come true, too, as long as they have a good attitude and work hard. A smile also goes a long way, he said.

Ingold has played for the Miami Dolphins for the last four years, but now he’s committed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers after the Dolphins’ new head coach, Jeff Hafley, a former defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, released him.

Ingold’s visit to Abrams was particularly special in that his mother, Christine, teaches third grade at the school. She got the opportunity to share with students photos of her son when he was growing up and also when he took his love of football to the college and professional levels.

Ingold played high school football at Bay Port in Suamico before moving on to college ball at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then entered the NFL playing for the Oakland Raiders in 2019, where he stayed until he suffered a torn ACL in the 10th week of the 2021 season. On the positive side, he was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year, and he earned a spot in the 2024 Pro Bowl.

When not playing football, the 29-year-old is an author and motivational speaker. He founded the Ingold Family Foundation, which helps to advocate for adoption and foster care, as well as teaching financial literacy and professional development skills. He also wrote a book, “The Seven Crucibles: An Inspirational Game Plan for Overcoming Adversity in Your Life,” which addressed some of the things he spoke with students about in order to be successful in life.

“When I was your age, I wanted to do something really special and really fun with my life,” Ingold said. “I loved the Green Bay Packers at the time. I loved playing football, so my dream was to get into the NFL, and that doesn’t always work out for a lot of people. They try really hard, and sometimes they fall short.”

For Ingold, making his dreams came down to three key actions:

• Being a good teammate. Ingold said it’s really important to him that he’s helping people. He noted that being helpful also means sticking to his word, and if he says he’s going to do something, he does it.

• Work really hard. The method for Ingold to make that happen is to show up every day and to do his best. He told the students that sometimes doing their best might not result in obtaining goals, but putting in the effort eventually will pay off.

• Responding with grace to bad things. Ingold said that when he’s having a bad day, or his team loses a game, he avoids dwelling on negativity, instead responding to the occasion and moving forward.

“I’m really good at picking myself back up and moving forward,” Ingold said. “That’s really cool for a football player to say, right? Those are three really good things, but the secret is you guys can do those three things today.”

While walking through the halls at Abrams, Ingold saw signs outlining positive behaviors like being honest and being kind. He said that means the students are already doing some of the things he suggested.

“When you’re in class, you need to be a really good listener,” Ingold said. “You need to listen to your teachers. There might be someone struggling with a problem, and you want to go help them. You’re being a good teammate just like I’m being a good teammate. That’s something you can control and something you can do every day.”

Trying your best when things are hard is important, Ingold said, and that can lead to doing something special.

“When I don’t feel like going to school, or I don’t feel like going to class, whatever it might be, this is my trick — I smile,” he said. “It’s free to smile. Did you know that? It doesn’t cost anything, and it doesn’t cost anything to have a great attitude.”

Ingold told the students about his time playing for the Dolphins and recounted that the team got to be in the shade for home games at Hard Rock Stadium, while the visitors were stuck out in the blazing sun, which made the opposing team really tired. However, there was one nailbiting game that the Dolphins played against the Chargers, and the home team scored a touchdown to pull ahead with 10 seconds left in the game.

The Dolphins started celebrating, thinking the game was won. That was a mistake, Ingold said.

The Chargers were able to get the ball into field goal position in the remaining seconds and were able to kick the goal and win the game.

“The team that was really hot, really sweaty, they pulled themselves back together, and all of a sudden, I saw this team running onto the field with a bunch of smiles on their faces,” Ingold said. “My team lost, and the other team won, and I saw this really good attitude.”

It wasn’t just Ingold trying to maintain a positive attitude after the loss. The family was there, and mother Christine Ingold said it was determined not to wallow in defeat.

“When you are an NFL player family, the guys have a hard time picking themselves up after they lose. You just lost, and it’s not something you enjoy doing,” Christine Ingold said. “I remember getting in the car with him, and his wife said, ‘We are not going to let this ruin our night.’ We didn’t. We got home and ordered a ton of food, and we ended up playing cards that night. He picked himself up relatively quickly, with the help of his wife.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com