HENDERSON, Nev. – The Las Vegas Raiders announced today Alec Ingold as the Silver and Black's nominee for the WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE. Considered one of the league's most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Each of the league's 32 nominees were announced today.
As a nominee, Ingold, in his second season with the Raiders after joining the Silver and Black as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019, will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field. Ingold fits to a tee the criteria for the "ideal" Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee: demonstrates consistency in positive character and models a lifestyle of giving back, shows dedication and commitment to community efforts this year, shows dedication and commitment to community efforts in years past and demonstrates excellence on the field.
Ingold this year took on an initiative that was very personal. He was adopted at birth and committed to help spread awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families. He will be involved with several campaigns including Adoption Month and a Las Vegas television station series which features local children seeking fostering or adoption. He is also working with the Clark County Department of Family Services on social media postings to raise awareness for their foster and adoption programs.
Ingold utilized the power of social media to institute a motivational series titled "Mindset Monday" on Instagram. Posts supported by video included: "Run YOUR Race. Take ownership of where you're headed in life!" In another, he noted, "Believe in your vision! Be different." Ingold also posted, "Maximize your impact on the people around you. Everyone has a legacy, what will yours be?"
Prior to Election Day, Ingold led a call to encourage voting, participating in a "Get Out and Vote" campaign that included being part of a Public Service Announcement. In early October, Ingold joined Special Olympics athletes from Nevada and California as they participated in "Virtual Fall Sports & Fitness," a seven-week training program similar to their in-person sports season but conducted from the safety of their homes. A few weeks later, Ingold led Special Olympians through drills during a virtual flag football minicamp. In November, he participated in a virtual film breakdown with Las Vegas Centennial High School running backs as part of the Raiders ELITE Academy series and offered advice and encouragement to the student-athletes.
While training this summer, Ingold, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a personal finance major at Wisconsin, discussed personal finances with Las Vegas high school students from the UNLV Young Executive Scholars (YES) Hospitality & Tourism Program. In addition to stressing the importance of managing finances, Ingold, who is pursuing an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, addressed topics that included goal setting, prioritizing, work discipline and teamwork.
Ingold spearheaded a fundraising activity to support the Three Square Food Bank's Coronavirus Emergency Food Fund, which resulted in over 31,000 healthy meals going directly to vulnerable Las Vegas populations such as children, seniors, veterans and furloughed workers. At the onset of the pandemic when many began to quarantine, Ingold recorded a Raiders Fit workout video that was posted online to promote physical and mental health. His home workout routine was constructed so that it could be done anywhere without equipment and included jumping jacks, squats and push-ups. Ingold began 2020 serving and sharing nutritious meals with first and second grade students at Jack Dailey Elementary, a Title I school in Las Vegas, highlighting the importance of fueling up for a successful school day.
As a rookie, less than 24 hours after the Raiders' regular season opener and on his first off day after making the final roster, he led over 100 students from Oakland's Futures and CUES at Lockwood Elementary School through stretch routines and football drills while also promoting the Play 60 message of being active for 60 minutes every day. A week later, he joined with 80 students from Davis Street Family Resource Center at Roosevelt Elementary School in San Leandro, California with a Birthday Book Bash to promote literacy.
During the Raiders' trip to London in 2019, Ingold joined several teammates and Alumni in visiting the Royal Air Force Mildenhall Base in Suffolk, England to meet and support Airmen and their families. He welcomed families of fallen heroes from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to a practice and joined his position group in representing the name of a different fallen hero on the back of his jersey. Ingold also volunteered at the Alameda County Community Food Bank's Mobile Pantry, where he sorted and distributed food to low-income families in San Leandro.
Named a Pro Bowl alternate at fullback in his first NFL campaign, Ingold holds the distinction of registering the first Raiders touchdown in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on a 3-yard reception from QB Derek Carr versus New Orleans on September 21. The Green Bay, Wisconsin native stays close to his roots and was looking forward to giving back to his hometown. He planned to host a free football camp at his high school last summer that was rescheduled due to the pandemic.
For the third year in a row, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LV. The 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air the week of Super Bowl LV, on CBS. All 32 nominees will receive a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide. In 1974, George Blanda was named NFL Man of the Year while playing for the Raiders and current tight end Jason Witten was presented with the award in 2012 while a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide's 6th Annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Raiders fans can vote on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallengeIngold. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most between December 10 and January 17, 2021 will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, while the second and third place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, all courtesy of Nationwide. More information about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award can be found at http://www.nfl.com/manoftheyear.
