 Papale in January 2009 | |||||||||||
| No. 83 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1946-02-09)February 9, 1946 (age 80) Glenolden, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Interboro(Prospect Park, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||
| College | Saint Joseph's (PA) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1969: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Vincent Francis Papale (born February 9, 1946) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He played three seasons[1] with the NFL'sPhiladelphia Eagles, primarily onspecial teams, following two seasons with thePhiladelphia Bell of theWorld Football League (WFL). Papale's story was the inspiration behind the 2006 filmInvincible.
Papale was born February 9, 1946, inGlenolden, Pennsylvania. He attendedInterboro High School inProspect Park, where he lettered infootball, basketball, andtrack and field.
In his only year of varsity football, Papale won All-Delaware County Honorable Mention honors. In track, he was a standoutpole vaulter,triple jumper, andlong jumper. He began competing in track during his senior year at Interboro. He won the District I (Philadelphia suburban area) large-schools championship in pole vault, then finished fourth in the Pennsylvania state meet. Papale's best pole vault that year was 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m), which edged him into the top 10 of all-time Pennsylvania high school vaulters.[1]
Papale attendedSaint Joseph's University inPhiladelphia on a track scholarship (the university did not have a football team). As a junior, he won a United States Track & Field Federation (USTFF) college development pole vault atMadison Square Garden (February 10) with a vault of 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m). He never placed at IC4A or Penn Relays. Papale did score in the Middle Atlantic Conference championships. He graduated in 1968 with an MS degree in Marketing/Management Science.
Vince Papale's post-collegiate football career began with the Aston Green Knights of the semi-proSeaboard Football League. At that time, Papale was a teacher atInterboro High School and was coaching the junior varsity football team when he successfully tried out for thePhiladelphia Bell of theWorld Football League as awide receiver. In an episode of the ESPN documentary seriesLost Treasures ofNFL Films concerning the WFL, Papale claimed he lied about his age to join the team (claiming to be 24 years old, when in fact he was 28 at the time.) In his first season with the Bell, Papale caught nine passes for 121 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per catch including catching the first pass in the history of the new league. In 1975 Papale caught only one pass, but it was for a forty-nine-yard touchdown. In both seasons with the team, Papale was a special teams standout.
Papale's performance with the Philadelphia Bell earned him a meeting in 1976 with head coachDick Vermeil of thePhiladelphia Eagles aftergeneral managerJim Murray got him an invitation to a private workout held by Coach Vermeil.
Papale eventually made the team, thereby becoming, at age 30, the oldest rookie non-kicker in the history of theNFL to play without the benefit of college football experience. He went on to playwide receiver andspecial teams for the Eagles from 1976 through 1978. During that time, he played in 41 of 44 regular season games (regular seasons being 14 games in 1976–1977 and 16 games in 1978), recording two fumble recoveries and one 15-yard reception. He was voted Special Teams Captain by his teammates and "Man of the Year" by the Eagles in 1978 for his many charitable activities. A shoulder injury ended his career in 1979.[2] After retiring from the NFL, he worked as a TV and radio broadcaster for eight years, then became a commercial mortgage banker.
Papale, who earned the nickname "Rocky" (after theSylvester Stallonecharacter) while playing with the Eagles, is the subject of theDisney movieInvincible, withMark Wahlberg portraying him. In addition, Papale's legend was cited as a factor in the Eagles' signing of construction foreman/tight endJeff Thomason for 2005'sSuper Bowl XXXIX.[3]
Diagnosed withcolorectal cancer in 2001,[4] Papale recovered and has become a spokesman encouraging people to get regular check-ups. He has appeared in commercials forThomas Jefferson University Hospital, encouraging others to be tested. He is also amotivational speaker.
Previously, Papale was the regional director of marketing and senior account executive for higher-education marketing atSallie Mae. He resides inJupiter, Florida, with his wife Janet and two children, Gabriella and Vinny, and remains a diehardPhiladelphia Eagles football fan. He is also currently listed as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Philadelphia Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association. His sonVinny played wide receiver for theUniversity of Delaware Blue Hens, theTampa Bay Bandits, and is currently with theMemphis Showboats of theUnited Football League.[5]
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