Vince Papale = Former Vaulter

[rainbowgirl28]

http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/sports/m-track ... 06aac.html

Vince Papale, SJU Class of '68


SJU Alum Vince Papale's Story is Subject of Movie Invincible
New motion picture premieres nationally on August 25.

Vince Papale was on a track scholarship at SJU.

Aug. 15, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's graduate and former track athlete Vince Papale serves as the inspiration for the the movie Invincible, the true story of how Papale overcame the odds to make a dream come true by playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"The Invincible Vince Papale" - By Tom McCarthy-

It's only right to start at the beginning. In reality, though, you want to get to the middle of the story, because that's the part that seems so unrealistic that it grabs you and leaves you smiling, wanting more and hoping one day you can be that fortunate. Still, it's the beginning that gives you the insight and lays the groundwork about the individual and about how real dreams can be fulfilled, by real people.

Vince Papale, whose life is the subject of the Disney movie Invincible", which premieres on August 25, 2006 with stars Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear, was not that different from many others who grew up in the Delaware Valley.

In high school during the early 1960s, his athletic ability was evident when he would step on the football field or wipe down his pole vault in preparation for a meet. The signs were clear in his speed, his toughness, and his hands, and they did not go unnoticed. It was Father's Day in 1964 when Saint Joseph's track and field coach Lou Nicastro tapped young Vince on the shoulder at a meet at La Salle College. Nicastro offered him a scholarship to continue his education and his athletic career at Saint Joseph's.

"I turned to my Dad and said, 'Happy Father's Day,' " Papale recalled. He turned back to Nicastro and accepted the scholarship.

"I loved that campus and the school," he said of Hawk Hill, which he fondly describes as part of the family, then and now. "I used to listen to the basketball games on the radio all the time, so I was excited about the opportunity to go there."

He did find his first year challenging, though. It's hard to imagine that the outgoing and gregarious Papale says of his college experience, "At first, I was intimidated by Saint Joseph's. I was shy, but started to gain confidence as the year went on."

Although freshmen weren't allowed to compete, being involved in varsity sports and a team still helped Papale. He adjusted to the rigors of college life with the help of then-athletic director Jack Ramsay, Ed.D. '49 (B.S.), and his best friend, David "Duse" Van Dusen '67 (B.S.). Dr. Ramsay helped Papale get over some of the academic hurdles that went along with being a student at Saint Joseph's. As for Duse, Papale said it was the Lower Merion High School graduate and former captain of the track and field team who took him under his wing and gave him the "social confidence" he needed to succeed in college.

"All I did was act like any person from St. Joe's would," Van Dusen said of the way he looked out for Papale. "I was fortunate that when I was a freshman, I had Jimmy Lynam ['64] as my mentor. So I acted in the same way with Vince. I just showed him the ins and the outs of everyday situations at Saint Joseph's."

With his confidence growing, Papale began to ascend the athletic ladder with Nicastro's track and field team, launching himself to lofty heights with the pole vault, ultimately setting the school record of 14 feet, 6 inches.

"He was a heck of an athlete," said SJU's current women's track and field coach, Kevin Quinn '62 (B.A.), who ran track at Saint Joseph's and then took over for Nicastro as the head track and field coach during Papale's junior year.

"My favorite Vince story was that during his junior or senior year, there was a meet down in Quantico [Virginia], and during one of the pole vault events, he fell between two foam pads and hurt his ankle," Quinn recalled. "We rested him for a week, and during the conference championships, it was still bothering him. He could lead off the relay team, but he couldn't pole vault. But he could do the long jump. He won the long jump by jumping off his opposite foot. He was very tough."

That toughness has always been part of Vince's makeup. It is what made him a standout football player in high school, in fact. Despite entering college at 5-foot-8, Papale grew into his current frame of 6-2 by his junior year at Saint Joseph's. While he was growing physically, his love for football was growing as well. Since the College didn't have a football team, Papale threw himself into intramural football. When Quinn wanted him to give up playing because he was concerned about the risk of injury, Papale tried to glide under the radar. But that proved impossible.

"I read about this star intramural wide receiver in The Hawk one day - it was Vince," a laughing Quinn remembered about the student newspaper article depicting Papale's exploits.

Finally heeding Quinn's advice, Papale stopped hitting the gridiron and placed his football desires on the back burner until after graduation.

His love of football stemmed from his playing days at the Glenolden Boys Club and Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pa. Like a lot of Philadelphians, his love of the pigskin grew because he was a huge Eagles fan and a season ticket holder. He first purchased season tickets in 1966, while the Birds were playing at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, and then carried them over to the 700 level at Veterans Stadium in 1970. It is a love that seeped into his blood and, to this day, has never left. It is the same love and intensity that propelled him into teaching and then coaching after he graduated from Saint Joseph's with a marketing degree in 1968. He went back to Interboro, where he taught business and coached track and field, taking over for his long-time mentor, George Corner. He also assisted Corner with football.

"I loved it - there was nothing better than coaching and teaching young kids," Papale said. "My dad, who they used to call Kingie, Coach Corner, and Dick Vermeil were three people who had a tremendous impact on my life. Coach was cutting back a little and asked me to help out. There I was, 22 years old, coaching the track team at my high school alma mater and teaching business. It was great."

That was Vince's day job, but in between, he was starting to play football again. It took six or seven years, but his desires were fueled on the sandlot fields throughout Philadelphia. He would play rough touch football on Sunday morning and then take the train, with his buddies, to watch the Eagles.

His Sunday morning games mushroomed from fields that were littered with stones and bottles, located behind Delaware County bars like Cannon's Café in Chester and Maximillian's Tavern in Prospect Park, to the Seaboard Semi-Pro Football League in Aston.

While with the Aston Knights, Papale continued to excel as a wide receiver. One of his best games came against the Hagerstown Bears, who were coached by Hugh Wyatt. Wyatt would later become the personnel director of the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League, an alternative to the NFL. He remembered Papale, as did Bell owner and Interboro resident John Bosacco, when Papale decided to try out for the team at JFK Stadium. Papale ran a 4.5, 40-yard dash, catching the attention of everyone at the tryout. He made the Bell and played for two years, until the league folded. His individual success opened his own mind to a chance, so at the ripe age of 30, he took a risk and tried out for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. It was 1976 and the Eagles were coached by a young and energetic newcomer named Dick Vermeil, who was looking to add an outside spark to a team that was growing but still struggling.

"We didn't have a first-, second-, or third-round draft choice for two years," Vermeil said. "So we thought if we held some open tryouts, we would find someone that would help us."

Calling on the toughness and intensity that had guided him through life, Papale, who had never played a day of college football and was several years older than most other rookies, won a spot on his favorite NFL team. Though not an instant star, he worked his way onto the roster, where he remained a wide receiver and became a dominant force on special teams. He played three seasons for the Birds, and according to the Eagles' Web site, holds the record as the oldest rookie in NFL history who never played college football, excluding kickers.

"Papale helped us in more ways than one," remembered Vermeil, who recently retired after his third stint as an NFL head coach. "He helped us establish an energy. He practiced hard and he was always positive. Done right, I can see how the movie would be an inspiration."

Papale's energy continues to be an inspiration. It's not just because of his football success that he's sometimes called Philadelphia's "Real-life Rocky."

Back in April of 2001 during a normal checkup, doctors discovered polyps in Papale's colon. Not an uncommon occurence, they were removed. He and his wife, Janet, headed off for a relaxing Memorial Day weekend in Newport, R.I., only to come home Tuesday to a heart-stopping call from his doctor - the polyps were cancerous.

"Have you ever had something in your life happen and your whole body just goes flush?" Papale asked. "I am telling you, the feeling I had was as if the air had just been sucked out of my body. I said, 'You have got to be kidding me.'"

Although overcome with disbelief and self-pity, Papale snapped out if it with the help of his wife: "She said, 'You are supposed to be a role model, you have to get it together.' She was absolutely right."

The doctors scheduled surgery to remove 18 inches of Papale's colon on June 22. As it turned out, the cancer had not penetrated the colon wall, and the surgery was successful. Not only that, in the interim the polyps were checked by six different pathologists, and each gave Papale a clean bill of health.

"I get goose bumps every time I tell the story," he said, who incorporates his bout with colon cancer in the many motivational talks he now gives. "When I found out everything was clean, I almost cried. I am sort of embarrassed when people call me a hero, but I was such a coward. It is pretty wild."

Papale's bout with colon cancer has not slowed him down. Now a national spokesperson for colorectal cancer prevention, he is a devoted father to his children, Vincent and Gabriella. Papale also balances speaking engagements with his work as senior account executive for higher education marketing with Sallie Mae and special events director for their scholarship arm, the Sallie Mae Fund. Through his position there and with the help of the Walt Disney Company, Papale plans to travel around the country and speak to high school and middle school students about the value of education. The program, called "Hold Fast to Dreams" after the Langston Hughes poem will also give a glimpse into the services and programs available to students who choose to attend college.

In the meantime, Papale has been busy promoting the planned fall release of Invincible with Wahlberg, who plays him in the film. The two hit it off from the beginning and are scheduled to be presenters at the ESPY Awards for ESPN this summer. The movie, written by Brad Gann and Mike Rich - who had a hand in the successful baseball film The Rookie and also Finding Forrester - is set in Philadelphia in 1976. It stars Kinnear as Vermeil, character actor Kevin Conway as Papale's dad, and Elizabeth Banks as Vince's wife, Janet.

"I feel like I have caught the last laugh," Papale said of the movie, much of which was filmed in Philadelphia at Franklin Field. "There were so many people who doubted me. It is extraordinary to be able to share my story with a new generation and to share it with Janet and my kids. There is a new generation that is being introduced to my story. I don't pinch myself to see if I am awake, I pinch myself to see if I am still alive."

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 1706&rfi=6

Delco Honors 'The Invincible' Eagle Vince Papale
By: Adele Malloy
10/19/2006

Former Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale (c) was welcomed to last week's Delaware County Council meeting where he was presented a resolution by Council Member Mary Alice Brennan (r) commending him for being the subject of a recent move, "Invincible," which depicted his football career, as well as for his civic and charitable activities. Papale was joined by Pat Larkin, Jr. (l), a local actor who portrayed a football teammate of Papale's in the movie. Before making the Eagles in 1976 as the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL at the age of 30, Papale was a teacher in the Interboro School District, where he taught Brennan as a ninth-grade student. A graduate of Interboro, Papale was an outstanding athlete, participating in football, basketball and track. Joining in the presentation were (2d row, l-r) Council Members Andrew Reilly, John Whelan, Michael Puppio, Jr. and Linda Cartisano.


Delaware County Council honored former Eagles football player Vince Papale at last week's meeting for his service to the community, his personal achievement and his recent Hollywood triumph, the movie "Invincible."

Council congratulated Papale for his personal achievements and the exemplary example he has set as a role model, not only as an athlete, but also for his civic and charitable activities, his commitment to high standards and sportsmanship that are integral to the traditions of athletics, Council Member Mary Alice Brennan said in presenting the resolution.
A Delaware County native, Papale is a 1964 Interboro High School graduate where he played football, basketball and track. He earned a full scholarship for track and field to St. Joseph's University, where he received a masters degree in marketing/management science. Papale "gave back" to his Alma Mater as a high school teacher.
A pole vault tournament in Media that his father forbade him to attend, helped him win his scholarship, he said.
"So don't worry about anybody that says you couldn't, shouldn't wouldn't, sports are not about any one person. It's about all of us trying our best," he said.
One challenge he lost was convincing Hollywood not to portray his career with the Eagles as a native Philadelphian, but to show the neighborhood where he grew up.
"They wanted the big city. I said, no way, baby. I was born in Chester, grew up in Glenolden and went to Interboro. It doesn't get any better than that," he said.
The story of his triumph as a 30-year old rookie for the Philadelphia Eagle Football Team, the oldest rookie in NFL history, is legend, especially since the successful release of "Invincible." He succeeded in spite of never having played college football.
Less known is his win over "the big C." Papale said the doctor's diagnosis knocked the wind out of him harder than any hit he ever took on the field. He encourages everyone to get medical checkups to prevent or detect cancer early.
His career included playing semi-pro football for the Aston Knights and two years with the Philadelphia Bell, for the now defunct World Football League. While he tried but did not make a bid for track and field Olympics USA World Team, his wife, the former Janet Cantrell, was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the USA World Gymnastics team. The Papales are the only married couple to have been inducted individually into the Hall of Fame.
Papale spent eight years as a TV and radio broadcaster following his Eagles venture. He currently is Sallie Mae Marketing Executive and Special Projects Director, the nation's leading student financial aid company. Sallie Mae "Hold Fast to Your Dreams" 2006 scholarship programs provided $10,000 scholarships nationally to five high schools for students who met the eligibility criteria. The first scholarship went to Papale's Alma Mater, Interboro, last month.
Interboro High School Principal Paul Gibson, Athletic Director Sue Leahan and Interboro School District Superintendent Dr. Lois Snyder attended the meeting and presented a memento of appreciation to Papale from the school.
"Invincible" cast member Pat Larkin, Jr. who played a rough Papale football teammate in the movie, also attended the meeting.