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The 63-year-old Glenolden native sits in a barber's chair at The Hair Pair in Roxborough, getting a hair cut for this week's premier.
Hollywood came to Papale, but Papale's not going Hollywood.
"Some guys could get a big head," Lenny Simon, The Hair Pair owner, said. "Not Vince."
The man of today is a product of the boy of yesterday.
Papale grew up in a housing project. His mother Almira suffered from mental illness and his father Francis - better known as Kingie - worked at a Westinghouse factory in Tinicum. Life at home was tough. Papale escaped reality by immersing himself in sports.
Kingie motivated his son by telling him that whatever he did wasn't good enough, or criticizing him for loafing on a play, or posing too much. Although Papale didn't realize it at the time, this was Kingie's way of showing that he cared. He responded positively to his father's methods by finding success on the field.
At Interboro High School Papale played football, basketball and ran track. Coach George Corner was instrumental in Papale's development as a player and a person. Papale could see that Corner cared by the way he asked about his home life or uttered an encouraging word.
Considered too small to play college football, schools bypassed Papale. He did attract interest from St. Joseph's College (now St. Joseph's University). The school offered him a full athletic scholarship for track & field. Papale accepted St. Joe's offer where he excelled, becoming team captain and earning Most Outstanding Senior honors. His school indoor and outdoor pole vault records still stand.
After graduating in 1968, Papale returned to Interboro High School, teaching business and coaching. He made a bid to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the decathlon. Because his qualification attempts weren't officially sanctioned, his scores didn't count.
Papale gave up on track but kept active by playing football in rough touch and semi-pro leagues.
In 1974 Papale tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League (WFL). Thanks to his speed, he made the team.
Life in the WFL wasn't as glamorous as in the established NFL. That didn't matter; Papale was a professional football player - at least for two years.
The WFL failed in 1975 when the league disbanded, prematurely signaling the end of his pro career.
As the WFL dissolved, the Philadelphia Eagles were experiencing a renaissance. Dick Vermeil took over as Eagles head coach in 1974 and brought a fresh approach to a franchise that had not won a championship since 1960. Two years later, he held open tryouts. Papale was there, hoping to get a second shot at professional football.
Papale impressed Vermeil with his speed and ability to catch the ball. The Eagles offered him a contract for $21,000 - just above his salary as a teacher and coach - but he still had to make the team. It did matter to him. "It was the NFL," Papale said.
Papale worked every day to prepare for training camp.
"I was running through the streets before Rocky," Papale said.
Training camp was a challenge. He struggled at first, citing the mental rigors. Despite his frustration, he would never quit.
In the beginning, he wasn't popular among other players. He was there to win a spot, taking away a job from another player or a player's friend. He took some cheap shots - one of which separated his shoulder and led to his eventual retirement.
Eventually, players such as Roman Gabriel, John Bunting, Denny Franks and Harold Carmichael became supporters - Carmichael even mentored Papale.
A season ticket holder for 10 years, the teacher and part-time bartender would be on the field for the 1976 season, becoming the NFL's oldest rookie - an honor he still holds.
The first thing Papale did was call his father at work. Unable to reach him, Papale left a message: "Tell Kingie his little boy is an Eagle."
A Hollywood scene ensued as a loud cheer erupted on the plant floor.
"They call that the Rudy Moment," Papale said. (Referring to the scene in the film Rudy, where Rudy tells his father that he was accepted to Notre Dame.)
Nicknamed "Rocky," Papale played wide receiver and saw action on special teams, his teammates voted him special teams captain.
Shoulder problems hampered him throughout his Eagle career and forced him to retire following the 1979 season.
"I reached my full potential as a player, as an athlete," he said. "I knew I could do it."
After stints as a TV and radio broadcaster, Papale moved into commercial mortgage banking and then a position with Sallie Mae.
A segment about Papale aired on ESPN prior to a Monday Night Football game in 2002. The story attracted interest from producers Mark Cardi and Gordon Gray.
After the initial contact, Papale worked on a script with writer Brad Gann. Eventually, Disney outbid four other studios for the rights to Papale's story.
Papale was involved during pre-production, working with wardrobe, football coordination, set creation and props. He was also a fixture on the set during filming in Philadelphia last summer, where he had the opportunity to watch Mark Wahlberg recreate his life.
"He (Wahlberg) and I hit it off from the beginning," Papale said. "He and I had similar backgrounds - tough backgrounds ... He's as good as it gets."
According to Papale, the most difficult aspect of the entire movie experience has been keeping his kids - daughter, Gabriella, 10, and son, Vincent, 7 - grounded.
"I don't want them to think that anything that's happening with this movie is more important than them," Papale said.
In addition to his role as an account executive, Papale is special projects director for Sallie Mae, where he and Wahlberg worked a public service announcement, promoting the importance of staying in school.
Involvement with charities is nothing new for Papale. In 1978 the Eagles voted Papale "Man of the Year" for his charitable contributions.
A colorectal cancer survivor, he has been active with The Kimmel Cancer Center, the Eagles Fly for Leukemia and the Deborah Heart & Lung Center.
As if that schedule isn't busy enough, Papale speaks to more than 80 organizations a year. With the release of "Invincible", that number should rise. Fortunately he can rely on his wife Janet.
"Not only is she the love of my life, my best friend and my biggest advocate, she's also my business manager," Papale said.
As Papale's life unfolded, he watched similar events from his life portrayed in the movies. Now his life is the movie. But Papale points out that the film isn't a documentary or a bio-pic. He's just the inspiration.
"The movie isn't about me," he said. "It could be about anybody."
