Alec Ingold returned to his hometown on Thanksgiving with the Miami Dolphins for their game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Ingold was a star at Bay Port High School and later played at Wisconsin. Ingold is in his sixth year in the NFL after going undrafted in 2019 and has carved out a niche for himself as a fullback for the Dolphins.

Ingold was adopted at birth and that was the focus of NBC’s broadcast story about him.

Who is Alec Ingold?

Alec Ingold College

After winning state player of the year as a dual-threat quarterback at Bay Port High School, he played at Wisconsin. He initially committed to Northern Illinois.

He became a fullback at UW at the start of his sophomore season.

Ingold was the only fullback invited to the 2019 Senior Bowl.

Alec Ingold in the NFL

Ingold went undrafted in 2019 but signed as a rookie free agent with the then-Oakland Raiders. He spent three seasons with the Raiders.

He signed with the Dolphins as a free agent in 2022.

Over the course of his career, he has started 38 games. He has two rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns. He had two receptions for 15 yards in the first half against the Packers.

Adoption of Alec Ingold

Ingold was adopted at birth.

Unable to have children, Pat and Chris Ingold adopted Alec at birth.

“The opportunity I was given as a mother was very special to be a father,” his parents said in the broadcast.

But around the age of six, Alec began to wonder where he came from. He asked his adoptive parents: “Did I mess up, did I do something wrong?”

“Fear of rejection, fear of abandonment,” Ingold said.

“In his mind, adoption meant someone didn’t want him, but it’s the exact opposite,” Chris said.

Alec said over time he became afraid to share feelings.

“I wish we could have communicated better because we couldn’t have loved him more,” his father said.

Alec Ingold family

Ingold, 29, is now married and looks forward to becoming a father one day.

He and his wife Alexa have two dogs.

“Alec will be a great father,” his wife Alexa said in the article.

How Alec Ingold gives back

The adoption has led Ingold to give back to children in the Florida foster care system.

Thursday’s story showed him volunteering at a nursing home in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Because of his work raising awareness for adoptive children, he was nominated by the Raiders for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2020.

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Alec Ingold? Dolphins fullback, Bay Porter native, adoption