Alan Veingrad

Alan Stuart Veingrad (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Texas A&M Lions. Veingrad played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons, and for the Dallas Cowboys for two season, winning Super Bowl XXVII with the team over the Buffalo Bills. In his career he played a total of 86 games.

Early and personal life Veingrad was born in Brooklyn, New York, lived in Englishtown, New Jersey, from ages three to nine, before moving to Miami, Florida, in 1972. He is Jewish, attended Hebrew school and was bar mitzvah, and grew up in a Jewish household.

He attended Miami Sunset High School. There, he competed in football and was captain of his high school team as well as All-Conference and All-American, and in track and field in discus and shot put.

College career Veingrad received a scholarship from East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University), in Commerce, Texas, to play college football and throw the discus. He was converted to an offensive lineman in football, and in 1984 he was named Lone Star All-Conference, Lone Star Offensive Lineman of the Year and received Division II and National Strength & Conditioning All-American honors. The six-foot, five-inch Veingrad worked out extensively and ate a high-carbohydrate diet, resulting in by the end of his freshman year weighing 220 pounds, and by the end of his college career weighing 270 pounds.

Professional career Veingrad was considered small for his position, and wasn't selected in the 1985 NFL draft. He sat out all of the 1988 season with a career-threatening hip injury. In 1991, after four seasons as a starter for the Packers, he signed in Plan B free agency with the Dallas Cowboys, where as a backup at tackle and guard, he helped Emmitt Smith win the NFL rushing title in 1991 and 1992.