Potential can be a blessing or a curse. Dreams take effort to be realized.
These were just some of the words of encouragement to come out of Tuesday’s All-Star Breakfast at the Marriott downtown that attracted more than 650 people, including athletes from Aurora Central.
While those words are the kind of quips that make good posters in locker rooms, they didn’t ring hollow when delivered by former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Vince Papale, whose storybook life was recently made into a motion picture.
“Pay the price to have your dreams come true,” Papale told the audience that had gathered to benefit Warren Village, which provides assistance to low-income, single-parent families.
Papale expounded upon his life story that was told in the 2006 movie “Invincible,” which starred Mark Wahlberg as a 30-year-old teacher-turned-bartender with no college football experience who made the Eagles via open tryouts in 1976.
Papale’s road to fame, which began in a housing project outside Philly, is the kind of humble background many of the athletes at Aurora Central can relate to, said former boys basketball coach Bob Caton.
“I think it’s tremendous. A lot of kids have the same story as Vince,” said Caton, who guided the Trojans to the Class 5A state final in March and will coach next season at Highlands Ranch.
An assortment of Trojans athletes, including All-Colorado basketball selection Stephen Franklin, who moved to Denver from Philly as a young teenager, got to meet Papale and have their picture taken with him.
Papale spoke for nearly 30 minutes and showed a few videos of himself.
