Vince Papale Vincent Francis Papale ( born February 9 , 1946 in Chester , Pennsylvania ) is a former professional American football player . He played three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League following two seasons with the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League . Papale was the inspiration for the 2006 movie " Invincible " . High school years . Papale attended Interboro High School ( Prospect Park , PA ) 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 vault er , triple jump er , and long jump er . He began competing in track during his senior year at Interboro . He won the District I ( Philadelphia suburban area ) 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 ( the university did not have a football team ) . As a junior , he won a United States Track & Field Federation ( USTFF ) college development pole vault at Madison Square Garden ( February 10 ) 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 ( University Division , which included La Salle University , Temple University , Lehigh University , Lafayette College , University of Delaware , Bucknell , Gettysburg College , American University , West Chester University ) . His college track statistics : He graduated in 1968 with a MS degree in Marketing / Management Science . Professional . 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 his first season with the Bell , Papale caught nine passes for 121 yards , averaging 13 . 4 yards per catch . 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 . His performance with that team earned him a meeting in 1976 with head coach Dick Vermeil of the Philadelphia Eagles after general manager Jim Murray got him an invitation to a private workout held by Coach Vermeil . Papale , at 6 - feet 2 - inches ( 1 . 88 m ) and 195 pounds ( 88 . 5 kg ) , 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 ( other than kicker s ) . 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 ( regular seasons being 14 games in 1976 – 1977 and 16 games in 1978 ) 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 " ( after the Sylvester Stallone character ) while playing with the Eagles , is the subject of the Disney movie " Invincible " , with Mark Wahlberg portraying him . He was also reportedly the inspiration for the 1998 Tony Danza movie , " The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon " . 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 . Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2001 , Papale has recovered from the disease , to become a spokesman encouraging people to get regular check - ups . He has appeared in commercials for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital encouraging others to be tested . Currently , Papale is the regional director of marketing and senior account executive for higher - education marketing at Sallie Mae . He resides in Cherry Hill , New Jersey , with his wife Janet and two children , Gabriella and Vinny , and remains a diehard Philadelphia Eagles football fan . He is also currently listed as the Secretary / Treasurer of the Philadelphia Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association .