A middle school teacher and part-time bartender, Vince Papale left his hometown of Interboro, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1974 to try out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League.  He made the team as a wide receiver and played for them for two seasons.  In 1976, at the age of 30, Vince tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles, made the team, and became the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL.  He still holds that record today.  Mr. Papale was with the Eagles for four seasons as a wide receiver and was voted Special Teams Captain by his teammates. A shoulder injury ended his career in 1979.  Mr. Papale was voted "Man of the Year" by the Eagles in 1978 for his many charitable activities.  

After retiring with the Eagles after the 1979 season, he was a TV and radio broadcaster for 8 years. Vince then entered the world of commercial mortgage banking which led to his present position as a Marketing Executive & Special Projects Director for Sallie Mae, the nation's number one student financial aid company.

Mr. Papale's athletic prowess was evident in his high school days.  A graduate of Interboro High School (1964), he was a three sport Varsity Letter winner senior year in football, basketball & track.  He still holds the high school Outdoor Pole Vault record.

Mr. Papale attended St. Joseph's College from 1964 to 1968 and graduated with an MS Degree in Marketing/Management Science. He was awarded a full athletic scholarship for Track and Field.  His Senior Year he captained the Track Team and was recipient of the Most Outstanding Senior Athlete. He holds the Indoor Pole Vault record for college athletes.

After college, Vince taught Middle School Business Education at Interboro School District from 1968 to 1974. He also served as High School Head Coach for Track and Field and was Assistant Football Coach.  

In 2006, a movie about Vince Papale called Invincible was released by Walt Disney Pictures. It features Mark Wahlberg as Papale, Greg Kinnear as former Eagles Coach Dick Vermeil, and Elizabeth Banks as Janet.

Vince co-wrote the book, Invincible: My Journey from Fan to NFL Team Captain, with Chad Millman about his story that inspired the Disney motion picture. His book fills in the details of his inspirational story.

Mr. Papale is married to the former Janet Cantwell. They reside in Cherry Hill, NJ with their two children, Gabriella and Vincent. Janet is a former member of the USA World Gymnastics team and has coached and taught gymnastics all over the world. They are the only married couple to have been inducted individually into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

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