Vincent Francis Papale (born February 9, 1946 in Glenolden, PA ) is a former professional American football player. He played three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. Papale was the inspiration for the 2006 movie Invincible.
In 1974, while bartending at Max's in Prospect Park and substitute teaching at Interboro High School, he successfully tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League as wide receiver. Papale caught 9 passes for 121 yards, 13.4 average.
His performance with that team earned him a meeting with Coach Dick Vermeil of the Philadelphia Eagles after general manager, Jim Murray got him an invitation to a private work-out held by Coach Vermeil.
This is a picture of Papale & Wahlberg during the filming of Invincible, a film based on Papale's football career. ~~~~>
Papale, at 6-foot 2-inches and 195 pounds, eventually made the team, thereby becoming, at age 30, the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL to play without the benefit of college football experience (other than kickers). He went on to play wide receiver and special 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, (including one that led to Vermeil's first NFL victory), 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. After retiring from the NFL, he worked as a TV and radio broadcaster for eight years, then became a commercial mortgage banker.
To the left is the real picture of Papale (as opposed to the reel picture!)
Papale, who earned the nickname "Rocky" (after the 1976 Sylvester Stallone movie and character) while playing with the Eagles, is the subject of the movie Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg. He was also reportedly the inspiration for the 1998 Tony Danza movie, The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon. [1] In addition, Papale's legend was cited as a factor in the Eagles' signing of construction-foreman/tight-end Jeff Thomason for 2005's Super Bowl XXXIX.[2]
Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2001,[3] Papale has recovered from the disease, to become a spokesman encouraging people to get regular check-ups. He encourages others to be tested.
Currently, Papale is the regional director of marketing and senior account executive for higher-education marketing at Sallie Mae. He resides in Cherry Hill, NJ, with his wife Janet and two children, Gabriella and Vincent.
Thank you Wikipedia and Reel Faces for this great info!
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