Vince Papale

Vince Papale was a great athlete in High School and College. After that he was a teacher and a coach and a part time bartender. He decided to try out for the Eagles when he was 30 and against all odds, he made the team. After his career ended, tragedy had struck him but he recovered and was an inspiration through his motivational speeches. He is a hero because he shows us that nothing is impossible and that you can be great at anything you put your heart into.

Vince Papale, born February 9, 1946 in Chester PA, was an amazing athlete in High school. He attended Interboro High School where he was a track star. He participated in the pole vault, triple jump and in the long jump. He also participated in basketball and one year of football. In his one year of football he earned All-Delaware County Honorable Mention. He was a letterman in all three sports he played. After high school he went to St. Joseph's University on a track scholarship. After college he returned to his high school as a teacher and the coach for the junior varsity team and he was also a part time bartender.

Vince's career began with The Aston Greene Knights while he was a teacher and coach. He then successfully tried out for the Philadelphia Bell as a wide receiver. He became a special teams standout for his performance. That performance earned him an invitation to a private workout session with the Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, which then lead to a meeting. Soon at the age of 30 he became the oldest rookie to play in the NFL without college football experience. Papale did not let his age or the fact that he had no college football experience hold him back from something he was amazing at. He played with the Eagles from 1976-1978. He played for 2 seasons where he played 41 games, recovered 2 fumbles and caught 1 reception just to name a few things. He was voted Special teams captain and “Man of the Year” in 1978. However, his extraordinary career ended with a shoulder injury.

Vince Papale was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2001. But amazingly he recovered from the cancer and became a motivational speaker to motivate people to get regular check-ups. His story was so inspirational that in 2006 his story was made into a Disney movie called Invincible which documented his life. He is a senior account executive for the company Sallie Mae.