Vince Papale
Encyclopedia : V : VI : VIN : Vince Papale
[] at NFL.com Vincent Francis Papale (born 1946 in Glenolden, Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football player. He holds the record as the oldest rookie non-kicker to play in the NFL. He played three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and is the inspiration behind the upcoming movie Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg.
Career
Papale played just one year of high school football and had no college football experience. He graduated from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, which did not have a football team. So, at age 30, while bartending and substitute teaching at his alma mater, Interboro High School, Papale joined the former World Football League team, the Philadelphia Bell, as a wide receiver. His performance with them later helped him earn an invitation of a lifetime. Former general manager Jim Murray informed him that Coach Dick Vermeil and the Philadelphia Eagles were having a private workout and invited him to attend.
Papale, at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), and 195 pounds (88.5 kg), eventually made the team and played wide receiver and special teams for the Eagles from 1976 through 1978.
Papale, who had the nickname "Rocky" when playing with the Eagles, will be featured in the Disney movie Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg that is expected to be released on August 25, 2006. The movie will be centered around Papale's journey to become a Philadelphia Eagle. It is being produced by Mayhem Pictures partners Gordon Gray and Mark Ciardi, who produced Disney's two other inspirational sports movies, Miracle and The Rookie.
Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2001, Papale has since overcome the disease and has become a spokesman encouraging people to get regular check ups.
Currently, Papale is the regional director of marketing and senior account executive for higher education marketing at Sallie Mae and resides in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, with his wife Janet and two children, Gabriella (12) and Vincent (7).
References
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.