Born in Brooklyn on July 24, 1963, Alan Veingrad and his family moved to Miami in 1972. That year proved to be a record-breaking year for the Miami Dolphins, who ended an undefeated season with a climactic Superbowl victory. The Dolphins’s phenomenal season became a milestone for 9-year-old Alan, who subsequently fell in love with football.
When Alan turned 14, he followed his older brother’s example and immersed himself in high school sports. Determined to succeed on the field, Veingrad asked his school’s strength coach to instruct him in the weight room. Alan worked tirelessly at improving his strength and overall fitness.
Beginning as just an average football player, Veingrad’s weight room training did wonders for his game. Since colleges still did not recognize Veingrad’s skill, however, Veingrad’s mother was forced to send her son’s sports resume to various colleges. Finally, East Texas State University took notice of the new prospect and recruited her son to their football team.
Veingrad was the only Jew at East Texas State University. Nevertheless, this did not concern him, as his only connection to Judaism had been reluctantly attending Hebrew school in his youth.
Through many vigorous workouts, Veingrad’s muscle mass and football skill increased significantly to the point that his proficiency became noticeably better. While Veingrad focused on winning college awards and championships, his coach suggested he set his goals at becoming an NFL player.
Veingrad, however, was not recruited to the NFL from college but was later signed to the Green Bay Packers as a free agent. Veingrad continued to play for the Packers for five years and then for the Dallas Cowboys for another two. In 1992, Veingrad, as a Dallas Cowboy, won the Superbowl.
Although most Superbowl-winning NFL players would consider the highlight of their football careers – if not their lives – receiving a Superbowl ring, Veingrad has a very different moment.
When Veingrad began playing for the Packers, a Jewish shoe store owner invited him over for Rosh Hashanah. Veingrad, having no deep connecting to Judaism, did not expect much of the invitation. Yet, as soon as Veingrad heard his host speak Hebrew, the letters pulled at his soul; they gave Veingrad’s life a new direction.
After winning the Superbowl, Veingrad decided to leave the NFL while still in good health, and devote the rest of his life to Judaism and motivational speaking.
In today’s Modern Orthodoxy, it is very important to have role models like Veingrad – a person who willingly sacrificed his dream for the following two reasons: first, playing professional football entailed an inability to keep the laws of Judaism and, second, that when looking at his life, even an NFL Superbowl ring could not add meaning to his life, could not satisfy the need to dedicate his life to a larger purpose.