To sustain a 15-year football career, you have to be a student of the game. And few have studied harder than Troy Vincent, former NFL cornerback. 

“You don't win on game day. You win in preparation,” said Vincent, executive vice president of football operations at the NFL since 2014. 

Accomplished on and off the gridiron, Vincent will share his story with Franklin & Marshall’s Class of 2026 as speaker at the College’s 239th Commencement on May 9.  

At the ceremony, Vincent will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters – alongside three other extraordinary honorees – in recognition of his transformational leadership and remarkable life of service that spans professional excellence in the NFL and devoted humanitarian work.

“Troy embodies the qualities we work to instill in our students: determination, resilience, a commitment to working together, and an eagerness to serve and lead,” said F&M President Andrew Rich. “I look forward to honoring him at commencement, and I know he will bring a powerful message that will resonate with the Class of 2026.”

A five-time Pro Bowl selectee, Vincent played for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders, including eight dominant seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. But it’s his legacy beyond football that means the most to him.

The father of five has advocated against domestic violence for more than 20 years in his role as an NFL player, union leader and now league executive. Additionally, Vincent and his wife, Tommi, founded the Love Thy Neighbor foundation to support equitable access to education, leadership development, safe environments and essential resources in cities across America. 

Vincent’s grandparents, Jefferson and Julia, raised him to embrace a life of service.

“They were old school,” he said. “You’ve got to take care of people. You treat people the way you want to be treated. Don't walk past someone that is homeless. If somebody says they're hungry, you take them for their word and feed them.” 

For his charitable endeavors, Vincent is the only player in history to have received the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award, NFL Players Association Byron Whizzer White Award, Sporting News #1 Good Guy, The Ed Block Courage Award, and NFL Athletes in Action Bart Starr Award. Vincent was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He is the recipient of The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches 2025 Trailblazer of the Year Award.

The secret to success in any field, Vincent said, is “the practices that nobody applauds and the discipline without any recognition.”

The early morning workouts. The countless weight room sessions. The meticulous study of game film. All skills honed in his time as a collegiate athlete.  

Born and raised in Trenton, N.J., Vincent seized all the opportunities that accompanied a full football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Midway through Vincent’s college football experience, Barry Alvarez arrived to revive the Badgers’ losing program. He eventually retired as the winningest coach in school history. 

“Coach saw something in me that I didn't see in myself,” Vincent said. “He said, ‘I watched your tape. I watched you play, and you have a chance to play at the next level.’ And I just believed him.” 

By the time his senior season arrived, Vincent was a first-round pick in the 1992 NFL draft, signing with Miami. He completed his bachelor’s degree after retiring from football, later pursuing certificates in business at Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. 

Through athletics, academics and his ascent to the NFL’s executive level, the basics remain a grounding force. 

“Life is about a process. Life is about choices. Be willing to make that commitment to the process,” Vincent said. “What I do between Monday and Saturday will show up on Sunday [game day]. That's how I approached being a pro.”

"You don't win on game day. You win in preparation."

Troy Vincent