Papale was born in Glenolden, Pennsylvania, attended Interboro High School in Prospect Park and lettered in football, basketball, and track and field. In his only year of varsity football, Papale won All-Delaware County Honorable Mention honors. In track, he was a standout pole vaulter, triple jumper, and long jumper. He began competing in track during his senior year at Interboro. He won the District I large-schools championship in pole vault, then finished fourth in the state meet. Papale's best pole vault that year was 12 ft 9 in, which edged him into the top 10 all-time PA high school vaulters.
College
Papale attended Philadelphia's Saint Joseph's University on a track scholarship. As a junior, he won a United StatesTrack & Field Federation college development pole vault at Madison Square Garden with a vault of 14 ft 6 in. He never placed at IC4A or Penn Relays. Papale did score in the Middle Atlantic Conference championships. He graduated in 1968 with an MS degree in Marketing/Management Science.
Vince Papale's post-collegiate football career began with the Aston Green Knights of the semi-pro Seaboard Football League. At that time, Papale was a teacher at Interboro High School and was coaching the junior varsity football team when he successfully tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League as a wide receiver. In an ESPN documentary, Papale claimed he lied about his age to join the team In his first season with the Bell, Papale caught nine passes for 121 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per catch including catching the first pass in the history of the new league. In 1975 Papale caught only one pass, but it was for a forty-nine yard touchdown. In both seasons with the team, Papale was a special teams standout.
Philadelphia Eagles
His performance with the Philadelphia Bell earned him a meeting in 1976 with head coachDick Vermeil of the Philadelphia Eagles after general managerJim Murray got him an invitation to a private workout held by Coach Vermeil. Papale 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. 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 recording two fumble recoveries 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. Papale, who earned the nickname "Rocky" while playing with the Eagles, is the subject of the Disney movie Invincible, with Mark Wahlberg portraying him. 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.
