Monday, December 17, 2018

Philadelphia Flyers' Era Shift - Dave Hakstol Departs, Cart Hart Arrives


This isn't what Ron Hextall, or Dave Hakstol projected a little less than one week before Christmas, 2018. Both men, now equally relieved of their orange and black duties, have taken the fall while the players remain, or at least those goalies who are healthy.

Who would have bet heavy that Michal Neuvirth would still be employed, and that Carter Hart would be recalled, while Hextall and Hakstol were looking for work?

Scott Gordon is a good, potentially temporary choice as the Flyers interim coach. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms fourth-year chief knows the organIzation and many of its young players, including Hart, who could be a short-term recall, meaning as short as one game. He could also stick longer, depending upon existing goalie(s), or a to-be-obtained netminder.

Chuck Fletcher has done what he felt he had too, just as Paul Holmgren did a few weeks ago. And now the team goes on.

Another lost season, as the always elusive third Stanley Cup won't be won this June? Probably. But what else can fans gone wobbly in recent weeks, months, seasons do except hope that their team improves, ever...so...slowly, if that what it is to do from this point on.
(Hakstol via my own photo. Hart, via the LHV Phantoms.)


Flyers press release regarding Hakstol and Gordon: 
The Philadelphia Flyers have relieved head coach Dave Hakstol of his duties and have named Scott Gordon the interim head coach of the team, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

Gordon is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was named to the position on July 13, 2015. In 254 games with the Phantoms, Gordon has a record of 144-86-15. He led the club back to the playoffs in 2017 after a seven-season absence, and in 2018 guided the Phantoms to the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Gordon was the head coach of the New York Islanders for parts of three seasons (2008-09 to 2010-11), and also served as the head coach of the Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, from 2002-2008 after working as an assistant there for two seasons.  Gordon’s 2004-05 team reached the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals, where it lost to the then-Philadelphia Phantoms, the eventual Calder Cup champion that season. His 2007-08 team finished with the AHL’s best regular-season record in that campaign, going 55-18-7.

Prior to joining the Phantoms, Gordon was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2011-2014. He also has head coaching experience in the ECHL with Roanoke (1998-2000) and was an assistant coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (Quebec, 1996-98) and the International Hockey League (Atlanta, 1994-96).

Hakstol was in his fourth season as the head coach of the Flyers after being hired on May 18, 2015. He posted a record of 134-101-42 in 277 games.

Flyers press release regarding Hart: 
The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goaltender Carter Hart from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms; have reassigned goaltender Alex Lyon to Lehigh Valley; and have placed goaltender Anthony Stolarz on injured reserve, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Chuck Fletcher. Hart will be available for Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, wearing #79. 

Hart, 20 (8/13/1998), is in his first professional season. He’s appeared in 17 games for the Phantoms, posting a record of 9-5-2 with a 3.05 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Hart has won four of his last five games, going 4-1 with a 1.80 GAA, .939 save percentage and one shutout since November 30.

A 6-2, 181-lb native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Hart turned pro this season following a five-year career with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, where he became the first two-time winner of the Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Year Award.  Hart first earned the honors following the 2016-17 season when he was 32-11-2 with a 1.99 GAA and .927 save percentage in 54 appearances. He improved upon those numbers in winning the award last season, posting a 31-6-3 record with a 1.60 GAA and .947 save percentage in 41 games while guiding the Silvertips to the WHL final for only the second time in the franchise’s history.

Hart was a member of Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships in both 2017 and 2018. He played in four games in 2017, helping Canada to the silver medal with a 2.38 GAA and .906 save percentage.  In 2018, Hart posted a 1.81 GAA and .930 save percentage in six games to help Team Canada win the gold medal. 

Hart was selected by the Flyers in the second round (48th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
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I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook and connecting on Twitter @SeanyOB.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Ron Hextall's Firing - Philadelphia Flyers' Next Steps Await



Ron Hextall's firing was surprising, but not truly a stunner when the news is peeled and depending upon one's perspective.

If Philadelphia Flyers' followers have been questioning head coach Dave Hakstol this season, or in recent seasons, they also know who hired him.

If issues about the team's ongoing goaltending problems have been chewed at length, again, fans know who approved of Brian Elliott's contract and that of Michal Neuvirth's.

If orange and black devotees believe that the team doesn't have enough talent on its NHL roster, or that said prospects aren't available to fill holes, they also know who made those forward, defense, and goaltending calls.

Fans also understand that Hextall guided the organization to positive salary cap territory. That, along with a series of obtained draft picks, provided a good hand to whatever GM is hired next.

President Paul Holmgren's thoughts, via the team's press release on the day of Hextall's termination was as follows, "The Flyers organization has decided to relieve Ron Hextall of his duties as Executive Vice President and General Manager. We thank Ron for his many significant contributions, but it has become clear that we no longer share the same philosophical approach concerning the direction of the team. In light of these differences, we feel it's in the organization's best interests to make a change, effective immediately. I have already begun a process to identify and select our next General Manager, which we hope to complete as soon as possible."
(Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers.)
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My own experience in interviewing Hextall was pleasant. The arguably second-greatest goaltender in team history, trailing only Hall of Famer Bernie Parent, was up front, honest, and reflective.

Rather than offer any detailed take on what's happened, I'll instead choose to observe what happens during the remainder of this season and in the next few years. Yes, that's not standard in an age where people's instant (often emotionally-based) reactions are encouraged and perceived as some type of right. My take reflects my principals and allows all involved parties to be offered respect for efforts and decisions made.

I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook and connecting on Twitter @SeanyOB.

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Classic Post: An Interview with Philadelphia Flyers' Legend Bernie Parent


Spending a few hours with Philadelphia Flyers' legend Bernie Parent was well worth the trip to his office in New Jersey. The one-on-one conversation we had easily ranks among the most memorable interviews that I've had in my professional career, which dates back to 1990. Here's a full replay of an online feature that originally premiered in the fall of 2010...

Today, my philosophy has changed tremendously. Everything comes from what you think about. Whatever you are thinking, you are going to attract. When you are happy, good things will come to you, ” Bernard Marcel Parent.

A week prior to his participation in the Spectrum's demolition ceremonies, I had the chance to discuss hockey, business, and philosophy with Bernie Parent. In doing so, I learned about the man who was a steady rock on those Flyers 1970's Stanley Cup teams. The former goaltender's candor and warm demeanor revealed how he has transitioned from a Hall of Fame sports career to life after the game.

The last time I was in the Spectrum, I went down to the floor and stood where the holes for the net used to be. I was there for about 10 to15 minutes looking at the whole building. I relived the memories one last time. It was a beautiful thing,” Parent said.

Parent, who will be honored by the Flyers on December 8th at “Bernie Parent night”, has remained a member of the Flyers' family, serving as an ambassador for the team.

New book to be released

He also is the author of a forthcoming book, My Journey Through Fear and Risk, which was developed through his experiences, conversations, and motivational speeches that he has given since his playing career ended. The book will be available to corporations, schools, non-profits, and individuals. In it, he discusses life after hockey and how each person can develop a proper philosophy. It also contains a menu of 15 topics to select from which facilitates Parent's in-person presentations.

In addition to authoring a book, he has continued to represent a number of different corporations, and make public relations appearances around the country and in Canada.

Business requests can be made through his manager, Dean Smith, who can be contacted at: 856-988-0001 and through Parent's website.

When I talk with people, I tell them to find out what their purpose is. They need to find what they love to do and dedicate their lives to it. That's when you get involved in fear and risk. You may have to change everything in your life, but risk is a beautiful thing. That is when things happen. All successful people have taken risks,” Parent said.

Learning from the master

Parent's hockey career was partly inspired by Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante, whose sister lived aside of his family home.

I was a shy kid, so when Plante would come to visit his sister I would always watch him. I can see in my mind exactly what his sister's house looked like, how he got out of his car, stood in front of the house smoking a cigar, and how he walked up the steps,” Parent fondly recalled.

My goal as a little leaguer was to get to the National Hockey League and then to win the Stanley Cup. When I was a kid I might have had 200 people telling me that I wasn't going to make it. They said I
wasn't big enough, or strong enough. But, when you have passion and are good enough, the obstacles fade away,” Parent said.

After playing in the junior leagues for the Niagara Falls Flyers, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the mid-1960's. Later he was selected in the 1967 NHL expansion draft by the Flyers and played in Philadelphia until he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1971. Their starting goalie at the time was none other than Jacques Plante.

When I was traded to Toronto, I had some doubts at first. That was a low point in my career because I wasn't looking at the right side of the coin. I was thinking about the Flyers not wanting me, rather than the fact that the Leaf's did want me. Plus, the person who I admired as a child, Plante, was their goalie. I learned a great lesson from that whole experience,” Parent said.

I was there (in Toronto) for two years. I watched Plante play from the bench. He was incredible! You don't want to copy someone, but take what they have an add it to your own style. So, one day, I said to him, 'Jacques, can you teach me?', Parent said.

In 1972, Parent took a risk and jumped to a rival league called the World Hockey Association. While playing for the Philadelphia Blazers during that 1972-73 season, he faced an average of 55 shots per game, but used that as an opportunity to apply what he had learned from Plante. When the Blazers moved to Vancouver at season's end, he decided to go back to the NHL. Toronto then traded his rights to the Flyers.

Fred Shero

Newspapers heralded his return as a move that could help the team to win the Cup in 1973-74.

The first time I met Fred Shero he came up to me and said that he believed in team work, but didn't know anything about goaltending, so I was on my own. As soon as he said that, I knew I had the right coach,” Parent recalled.

I got a standing ovation when I stepped onto the ice at the Spectrum during our first pre-season game that year. But, ten minutes into the game, the Rangers had scored eight goals against me. I heard a lot of boos and Freddy (Shero) pulled me out. That was my reintroduction to the city. But, when you think you have hit your lowest moments, it doesn't mean it's over. You are just being sent in a different direction,” Parent said.

A few weeks after that Rangers game, Shero had Parent start in goal for the regular season opener against Toronto. He shut them out 2-0. As we know, the Broad Street Bullies went on to famously win their first Stanley Cup that season and have “walked together forever”, just as Shero's locker room chalkboard message had encouraged them to do.

Parent earned many awards after his return to Philadelphia, including winning both the Vezina (an award given annually to the league's best goalie) and the Conn Smythe (an award given annually to the league's best playoff performance) trophies in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

Post-hockey career

A five-time All-Star, he was the toast of the town in the 1970's, adding another Cup win in 1974-75. But, after a career-ending eye injury against the Rangers, in 1979, his life changed dramatically.

After retirement, the problem is that you can't perform in front of large crowds anymore. That is the biggest adjustment that you have to make. Money is separate adjustment,” Parent said.

He joined a self-help program that he credits with turning his life around.

In your greatest despair, you can have your greatest victory. As long as I was the hockey player, I had a purpose. Once that stopped, that purpose was gone. I went in circles. I wasn't happy and I hung around people who had a similar outlook. I have learned that you become what you attract. So, I like to share what I went through because I want to help people to learn through my experiences,” Parent said.

During that time period he also was a goaltending coach and scout for the Flyers. Neil Little, drafted on Parent's recommendation, went on to win two Calder Cups for the Flyers AHL affiliate and today is the Flyers worldwide goalie scout.

In 1998, he was willing to let a doctor perform a new procedure on his damaged right eye. The procedure worked, restoring his vision to 20/20.

Pelle Lindbergh

Thomas Tynander and Bill Meltzer's book Behind the White Mask, contains a sharply detailed description of Lindbergh's life, career, and the father-son type relationship that he had with Parent. We discussed the book and his remembrances of Lindbergh.

Pelle was here on Earth for a brief moment that was cut a little bit short. We are spiritual people and
I believe that when someone passes away they move onto a new place in their eternal life,” Parent reflected.

During the 1981-82 season, Lindbergh was struggling. When he was sent to the Flyers minor league team in Maine, Parent suggested that he go with him. Through his guidance, Lindbergh returned to the Flyers during that season. He went on to win the Vezina trophy in 1984-85, which Parent presented to him at the awards ceremony.

I opened the envelope and his name was listed as the winner. He came up on stage and gave me hug. It was a big moment,” Parent fondly recalled.

I was very grateful that I was a part of his life. A paradigm was passed from Plante, the master, to me and then I passed what I had learned on to Pelle. He had a lot of good qualities that could benefit us today,” Parent said of his former protege.

Recent pursuits

He has remained an avid hunter, fisherman, and golfer. He values family greatly, having two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.

It is a different phase that I'm going into now. I love children. When you watch a child, you are seeing happiness. Watch them for a half of an hour and you will learn a lot,” Parent said.

A few years ago one of Parent's sons gave him a popular DVD. He credits what he learned from it (along with it's related book) as helping him to gain a deeper understanding of life.

The Secret helped me to see that we attract good and the bad things in life by how we think. When you have a positive view of life, good things happen to you. The greatest power on Earth is the power to choose. Once you understand the process, you can create anything that you want,” Parent said.

Ed Snider

I believe that he is one of the best owners in professional sports and has built his own economy. He is wise enough to realize that he needs a team. He is involved with his company, but allows people to have confidence in themselves and lets his team perform. Back in 1967-68 (the team's first year) he was sitting at the kitchen table with his wife, trying to determine how they would meet payroll. Now, he is one of the most successful individuals in the Delaware Valley,” Parent said.

Flyers 2010-2011

I think this team has the whole package. They have a great coach (Peter Laviolette) who I really like. They have great forwards and great defenseman. They also have three good goalies, who understand the game. It's exciting because the Flyers have their deepest team in a long time. They aren't hoping to win, they know they can win. If they stay healthy, they have a good chance to win the whole thing,” Parent enthusiastically said.

Packs

I consider myself to be a wolf, because I like the freedom of choice. Choice is very, very important to me. A wolf works in packs. So, everyone doesn't have to be like me, because people all have different talents,” Parent said.

He has employed the same strategy in his current pursuits that he did when he studied Plante's goaltending techniques. He studied successful business people for five years, so that he could begin to build his own business pack.

Parent concluded by saying, “Material possessions, like us, will come and go. I am grateful for what I have been able to attract. Life is a wonderful journey.”

Postscript

Growing up in the 1970's, I was naturally a Flyers fan and spent many great days playing street hockey with cousins and elementary school friends. My uncle created cool foam goalie pads that my cousin wore during our games in his garage. Every Sunday, while my Mom was making dinner, I would put my Bernie-style mask on and fend off shots from my Dad in our own basement rink.

After completing the interview, I began my journey back through the roads that I had traveled on a few hours earlier. As I did so, I could see in my memories that we all wanted to be who Bernie was back then. I also knew that I had just spoken with someone who enjoys being who he is today.

(Thank you to Dan Morroni, who is a custom tailor in the Philadelphia region.)
(Photo courtesy of Sean O'Brien.)
(My interview was initially provided to philly2philly.com.)

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Feel free to contact me if you feel that I can be of help to you, your family, or friends. 

I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook and connecting on Twitter @SeanyOB.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Classic Post - Philadelphia Flyers: What If Ed Snider Hadn't Taken a Risk?

This classic feature is being re-posted due to the upcoming start of the new hockey season...

Ed Snider traveled to see a sporting event with a friend nearly 50 years ago. That New York Rangers hockey game made such a positive impression on him that he later took a business risk. In so doing, the Philadelphia Flyers were born.


Risk and reward

Rewards aren't guaranteed in business, or in life. Snider used his free will when he decided to invest in a National Hockey League expansion franchise in the late 1960s, with no guarantee of success. 
If his team would have flopped, it might have gone the way of the Cleveland Barons. A hardcore reference that has been noted for all hockey aficionado's. 

Brains and talent

As the Flyers built their 1970s reputation and won back-to-back Stanley Cups against the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres, arenas around the League were filled to capacity along the way. Everyone wanted to see one of the world's greatest shows. 
Yes, the team hasn't won the Cup since then. But, it has gone to the last round six times since those fabled 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons.

So, what if?

If Snider hadn't taken the risk, hockey may not have started in Philadelphia as soon as it did. Where's the evidence that any other person, who may have founded the franchise at any other point in time, would have made a go of it?

The sheer amount of media members that cover the team's home games indicate that there is more than a small, hardcore, contingent of Flyers fans in the region, as has been suggested over the years. It's likely a broader group, as evidenced by the amount of street and inline hockey programs that exploded in the 1980s and ice hockey programs that have been created at high schools across the surrounding region during the past two decades.

In other words, the base has grown since the fall of 1967.

Also, the Reading Royals wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Flyers. And that ECHL hockey team, located in a small town over an hour from Philadelphia, attracts almost four thousand fans per game.

Loyalty counts

Don't forget that Snider built the CoreStates Center in 1996 (now known as the Wells Fargo Center) with almost total private funding. All sports facilities could be built without making the public become a partner through forced, back door, taxation.

There is no sense of entitlement within the Flyers organization. They have earned their way through Snider's example. His straightforward business approach is simply this: Work hard, don't be afraid to spend money and try to win every single season.

Flyers' fans are smart and have always recognized that their team consistently tries to succeed. And with that, loyalty will continue to reign.

(I hold all copyrights to this article which originally appeared on Yahoo's platform in 2011. Photo credit: cdn1.vox-cdn.)

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Classic Post: Vince Papale



With the NFL's regular season soon to get underway - it's time to revisit a conversation with one its most inspiring players. Vince and his family were fully welcoming when I met with them earlier this decade...

Family matters

Millions embraced the movie "Invincible" when it was released in 2006. That feature offered a snapshot of Vincent Francis Papale and his unlikely football career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The passion in Papale's voice was most noticeable during the afternoon I spent with the Glenolden, Pennsylvania native. Not passion about himself, but about the people who have been and are significant in his life. He began by telling me about his own children.
"I'm really blessed. My life is my family. Everything is about them," Papale said.
He and his wife Janet have been married since 1993. They have two children, Gabriella and Vincent Joseph.
Gabriella, their daughter, is 17. She is an outgoing high school junior whose combined goals are to become a broadcast journalist and a Victoria Secret model. She is a cheerleader and works as a manager for the lacrosse team. Like her mother Janet, she is also a dancer.
"Gabriella is great with children. I support what she wants to do and also think that a tremendous profession for her would be as a school teacher. She is one of fifteen students who have been chosen at her high school to go to New Orleans later this year. They will be helping to rebuild homes in the areas that were affected by Katrina."
Vincent Joseph is Papale's 14-year-old son, whose dream is to follow in his father's footsteps and play in the National Football League.
"Vinny rules the world. His favorite player is Wes Welker of the New England Patriots. He's funny and has a lot of voices and characters, like Jim Carey. He's a gentle, kind, kid who participates in a program at school called 'Peer Leadership', which is an anti-bullying initiative."
Due to budget cuts, that program had been on the chopping block. Through the Papale's efforts and the involvement of Dick Vermeil, funds have been raised that will allow the program to continue for at least the next two years.

Cinder Block City

Life wasn't like a movie when Papale was growing up with his parents and an older sister. They lived in a housing project, in the Glendale section of Philadelphia, which he referred to as 'Cinder block city.'

"They built the place on a golf course and there was a creek that ran through our backyard. That is where I hung out when I was young."
Papale's mother, Almira Sage, was one of nine in her family. She was a professional baseball player in the 1930's, but don't think "A League of their Own." She barnstormed up and down the East Coast in a women's hardball league. She was also a diver, swimmer and a dancer. His mother wanted to be an Olympian, but the Great Depression, World War II and having to work to help her family, prevented that from happening.
Vince's father, Frank Papale, went by the nickname 'Kingie' and was also one of nine. Frank's mother died when he was born. His father, Vincenzo Papale, persevered through that hardship and through the discrimination that many Italian immigrants faced in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Vincenzo was a pig farmer, a cello player, a semi-pro football, a baseball player and a runner. He participated in the Penn Relays, as his namesake grandson would also come to do many years later.

Kingie and Almira

'Kingie' met his future wife, Almira, at a football game after getting into a fight with a player from the opposing team. That player turned out to be his future brother-in-law.
Like other men in the area, he provided for his family by working at a blue collar job on the Delaware River. He called Westinghouse his workplace home for 40 years. Because of the long hours his Dad spent at his job, young Vince caught passes that were thrown by his mother in their backyard.
The blending of prevalent athletic family genes and a strong free will, naturally made competitive sports a part of Papale's life.
"I knew I was good at sports from Day 1. Every July Fourth we raced at Glenolden Park. I would win all of the races for the 8 and under, 9 and under, 10 and under. People would bet on me. I ran barefoot and was known as Seabiscuit."
But, life wasn't all fun and games. One day in 1958, as Papale was coming home from school, he saw his mother being taken away in an ambulance. She was later diagnosed with Tinnitus, which is a ringing sensation in one, or both, ears. The condition permanently influenced her health and the life of her family.

A good coach makes a difference

Papale grew in size and experience during his teenage years. The roots of his nature were also forming through a number of positive influences, as many important coaches came into his life.
"One of the reasons I give, is because people gave of themselves to me," Papale said.
A lasting relationship was formed when Papale met George Corner, who was his first male teacher at Interboro Junior High School. An imposing man, Corner was also was the school's football and basketball coach. One day Corner passed by the lunch table where Papale was eating.
"I had been saying some unpleasant things about my mom and he told me that he didn't appreciate what he had heard."
Corner relayed to him that his own mother and sister had serious health issues when he was young. He told Papale that he understood how his mother's condition could affect his home life. He also told him that he would be there if he ever needed him.
"I leaned on him a lot and he took me under his wing."
Papale was 4 feet 5 inches tall and weighed only 75 pounds when he was in the seventh grade. By ninth grade, after he had grown to be 4 feet 11 inches tall and had gained another 20 pounds, he decided to try out for the football team.
"Coach Corner let me try out for the team and I made it. I also ran track and was a guard on the basketball team."

Marty Stern

His track coach, Marty Stern, became another mentor. Stern had just graduated from West Chester and like Papale was tough, despite his small stature.
"He was a little guy, who wasn't much bigger than me, but he could run like the wind. I had great speed, but he refined my style and made me feel really special."

New school - old coach

Papale initially faced a different atmosphere than he was use to when he first went to high school. The head football coach told him that he was too small to play on the team and so he didn't become a member of it. However, he did play basketball.

When he was a senior in high school an old mentor came back into his life, as coach Corner accepted a position as the head football and track coach.
"Coach Corner did the same thing that Dick Vermeil did for me years later, he broke the rules. Normally, first year seniors aren't allowed to come out for football, but I was. I wound up leading the team in receptions and touchdowns. I went on to become an honorable mention wide receiver as a 5 foot 7 inch, 160 pound player."
Papale broke his wrist shortly after Thanksgiving, 1963. Because of how bad it was shattered, he was told that he would never be able to use his hand again. But, he willed himself through to recovery.
Corner asked him to go out for track in the spring so that he could get into shape for the upcoming football season. Papale wanted to pole vault, but Corner said that he had promised his father that he wouldn't allow him to do that.
As a boy, Papale had practiced vaulting in his backyard using metal clothes line poles. Because they were so easily bent, he started using bamboo poles instead. Those poles, that were originally used in the middle of rugs, helped him vault up to 8 feet in the air before he landed on a makeshift bed of mattresses.
Papale has bamboo poles in his backyard these days as well. He will be using them to help his son practice vaulting.

The hairy eyeball

During his first track meet against Media, Papale's father unexpectedly appeared.
"I didn't know that he was going to be there. He came walking up in his Westinghouse blues and gave me the 'hairy eyeball' look, but didn't say anything."
Papale's father saw his son set the school pole vault record that day. He went on to win county, suburban and district championships. He also finished fifth in a state competition.
On Father's Day 1964, he went head-to-head against the best pole vaulters in the Tri-State area. Three of his competitors had been given scholarships to Villanova, LaSalle and St. Joe's. In dual meets he led off by winning the 440 meter relay and ran first and second in the high hurdles. He also won the long jump, the triple jump and the pole vault competitions.
Papale jumped 18 inches higher on that day than he ever had before. Four colleges offered him track scholarships before he left the field.



Onto college

By the time Papale was ready to go to college, he had grown to be 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. He was accepted into the West Chester state teacher's college. Walt Buechle was their freshman football coach and said that he would let Papale try out for the football team as a walk-on freshman.
Even though the school didn't have a football program, Papale decided to attend St. Joseph's University where he received a track scholarship. When he was a junior, he won the United States Track and Field Federation award at Madison Square Garden as a result of his14 foot 6 inch vault.
"Great coaches instill discipline, fundamentals and consistency. They are organized and fair. You know exactly where they stand," Papale said.
College coaches Rich Branton, Bob Cindico, Lou Nicastro and Kevin Quinn taught him that he could be a tough guy and a nice guy at the same time.
"My coaches were all school teachers. One of the big factors that is currently being lost in sports is the teaching element."

Freddy

After graduating from St. Joe's with a Masters degree in Marketing and Management Science, Papale accepted a job as a track coach at a familiar location, Interboro High School.
During the spring of his first year as coach, Papale called for a weekend practice session to help his track team prepare for an upcoming meet. Because it was scheduled during the Easter holiday weekend, all senior team members chose to boycott practice. Papale decided that his runners needed to face consequences for their actions. So, he suspended them from participating in the upcoming meet.
"The first dual meet we were going to have, I was going to bend and let them back in, but I didn't. We lost that meet by one point."
One of the runners who did understand the value of discipline and sacrifice was Freddy Leopold. He had practiced and was going to participate in that dual meet.
"Freddy came from 50 yards behind in the mile relay. He got to the finish line and gave it everything he had, but was a yard behind the winner. Even without the seniors participating, if we had won that event, we would have won the meet."
Papale still has a photo of him holding Leopold in his arms after the race. The young runner pictured went on to serve his country as a medic in the military. He was killed after stepping on a land mine in Vietnam.
"To this day, I still get chills when I think about him in that race."

The NFL and Hollywood

Invincible became a movie because its subject, Papale, never stopped pursuing his dreams. In the 1970s, while teaching and coaching, he also played semi-professional football and was a member of the World Football League's Philadelphia Bell.

In 1976, Eagles coach Dick Vermeil announced open tryouts for the team. At 30, Papale became the oldest rookie to ever make the roster of an NFL team. The feat was all the more remarkable because he had not played college football.
He went on to be voted Special Teams Captain by his teammates. Due to his charity work, he was named Eagles Man of the Year in 1978. By 1979, a shoulder injury ended his gridiron glory.

Business career

After retiring from the NFL, Papale worked in the mortgage banking industry and became a sports broadcaster. He also won a battle with colorectal cancer in 2001.
The Disney movie Invincible and Papale's first book, Invincible - My Journey From Fan to Team Captain were both released in 2006.

Invincible Kids

"Everyone has their invincible moment."
Today, he is a sought after speaker who has also initiated an 'Invincible Kids' program. This effort allows him to give voice to the spirit of children around the country who have overcome great odds and serve as inspirational role models.

Board of directors

Papale has recently been voted onto the Board of Directors, Charity Division, for the NFL Alumni Association.

"One of our initiatives is to help players who haven't been as fortunate as I have been."

New playbook

Consistency is one of the principals that Papale lives his life by. It is also something that he speaks about in his forthcoming book, Papale's Playbook: You Can Be Invincible In Tough Times...Analyze, Adapt and Achieve, which is due to be released later this year.
Never believe that people who achieve and maintain success do so by chance. Individuals like Vince Papale are smart and have consistently worked to have earned all that they have accomplished.

How we respond to the 'Invincible Moments' in our lives defines who we are and who we can become.

Details about Papale's life, as well as all of the positive efforts that he is involved in can be found on his website: vincepapale.com. Currently, he is also a spokesperson for stopcoloncancernow.com.

(I hold all copyrights to this article which originally appeared on Yahoo's Voices platform in 2011. Photo credit: APB)

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