A three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Alec Ingold has made a wide impact on his community throughout his career.
The Chargers fullback recently added to his list of accomplishments as he was honored by Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, one of the most impactful members of the community in Miami.
Ingold was inducted into the Jason Taylor Community Hall of Fame for his vast community work in Miami during his time with the Dolphins. The event was the sixth annual UKG Jason Taylor Community Hall of Fame Dinner and held in South Florida last month.
Taylor, one of the most impactful members of the Miami community, founded a Hall of Fame of his own to celebrate individuals who inspire him daily to carry out his foundation's mission.
The fullback founded Ingold Family Foundation in 2022 that provides underserved youth with learning experiences focused on leadership, financial literacy and personal development.
His impact in South Florida during his time there with a multitude of events and partnerships was felt greatly.
"It's really cool," Ingold told Chargers.com. "Jason himself, being from that community and all the things he's done, he's the gold standard.
"Gold jacket, inducted into [the Dolphins] Ring of Honor and then also his community work being a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner," Ingold continued. "All those things are really cool so to be acknowledged by him, his family, his organization for the work we did down there, that's kind of a stamp of validation that what do has a standard to it."
"Definitely took a lot of inspiration from him during my time there, so it was a cool way to wrap everything up down there," Ingold added.
Ingold's foundation hosted a number of outreach events such as youth football camps, launched events to teach financial literacy and supported children in foster care, among many other things, during his time in Miami.
The goal for his foundation continues to be to bring much needed attention and financial support to the children within the country's child welfare system and focus on financial, mental, and physical health.
A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, community work and helping make an impact was something Ingold took to heart from the beginning as he understood the opportunity and platform he had and wanted to use it for good.
"I grew up in Green Bay so going to the grocery store or anything, seeing football players was the coolest thing ever," Ingold said. "I knew from a very young age if I ever were to make it to the league, I would want to turn around and pay that right back.
"Just understanding how much influence, guidance and leadership the NFL and league itself has, it's such an amazing platform so you want to use it for some good," Ingold added.
Not only has he made his stamp wherever he's been, the community has made an impact on him personally, as well.
"I think the intentionality of wanting to reach out and make your community a better place, I think it makes everybody better and it holds me accountable and when you get into some of those environments, it's really cool to see," Ingold said. "Kids sometimes teach you more about yourself than you're teaching them, so it's a cool relationship you're able to build."
Now as a member of the Chargers, Ingold said he and his foundation have their sights set on the impact they could make in Los Angeles.
"We learned a lot the last couple of years in Miami about what was going to stick and what wasn't," Ingold said. "We get to bring the foundation and a lot of experience in what we do well, what we do unique and who we can reach out to in order to partner.
"We're really looking forward to working mindset health for student-athletes, coaches, because that was a thread that a lot of people really enjoyed," Ingold added.
Having hosted a number of events, he's excited to bring those ideas now in Southern California.
"I think teaching life lessons that sports can teach us in a unique, fun way and bring a little juice to the everyday, mundane workouts the kids might be going through or during the schoolyear or helping out educators, teachers and mentors," Ingold said. "That's our lane and we're really excited to partner with a bunch of people down here and get that rolling."
