When Vince Papale became a Philadelphia Eagle, his first year salary was $21,000. This was double what he was earning as a school teacher. In his last year, his salary was a whopping $42,000. That smallish salary was only the beginning for this amazing legend.
Papale had never played college ball. He became an Eagle out of pure determination. He literally fought his way on to the field and after his story was featured on ESPN, Hollywood took notice and started working on a film about his short lived stint as an Eagle.
A Fan Favorite
Vince Papale will always be a fan favorite in south Philly because of his gritty determination. He did something that no one ever thought he would be able to do. His story was immortalized on the big screen Mark Wahlberg. The Disney film portrayed the struggles of the 30 year old rookie and what it took for him to become an Eagle.
He has received plenty of recognition from the NFL, Eagles, the government and even military organizations. His story is a great source of inspiration for anyone that has a dream. His story is encouraging to anyone that wants to take that life changing chance.
The movie changed his financial picture greatly. His net worth is about $1.5 million dollars. His annual salary fluctuates depending on how many speaking engagements that he does. He has said that he made some bad investments in the past or his net worth would be up there by a few million. Vince has never been afraid to work. Throughout his lifetime he was a government employee (having worked for Sallie Mae), a bartender, substitute teacher, and professional football player among his many other careers.
How Does He Make Money Now?
Papale is a motivational speaker, earning approximately $20K per engagement. He had children late in life, requiring him to continue to seek future financial opportunities as they grow and head off to college. The movie ‘Invincible,’ made about his life, helped to give him the exposure he needed to gain success in his chosen career field.
He has said that today his most important job is to raise his kids. He considers himself a full time father that works part time to pay the bills. He is able to be selective in the speaking engagements that he chooses.
He has never lost his humility and his ability to see the bigger goals in life.
Keith Miller has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, Keith's work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then please send our content editing team a message here.
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