In the End, Vermeil Proved to Be Invincible

The Disney movie “Invincible,” which opens Aug. 25, is based on the true story of Vince Papale, a schoolteacher and part-time bartender who at age 30 in 1976 became a special teams player for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Papale made the team because of a public tryout scheduled by first-year Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, who had just left a winning program at UCLA to take the helm of a losing team.

In the movie, Vermeil, who is played by Greg Kinnear, says at the press conference announcing his hiring by the Eagles: “I’m committed to this team.”

Says a wise-guy sportswriter in the back of the room, “Yeah, he should be committed -- for taking this job.”

Trivia time: Papale, who played three seasons with the Eagles, wore No. 83.

What former UCLA player wore No. 83 for the Eagles in 1993?

(Hint: He earlier wore the same number while with the Denver Broncos.)

Odd coincidence: “Invincible” is about a story that took place in Philadelphia in 1976. The movie “Rocky,” about fictional Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa, came out in 1976, and won the Academy Award as picture of the year.

More movie biz: “Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” starring Will Ferrell, finished first at the box office last weekend, bringing in an estimated $47 million.

David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted that a critic for his newspaper gave the movie a D-minus.

Eddie Gossage, the president of Texas Motor Speedway, also reviewed the movie for the newspaper and gave it “four lug nuts out of four.”

Added Thomas: “I will tell you I fall somewhere in between those two grades. I would like to be more specific, but for the life of me I cannot figure out exactly what falls in between ‘D-minus’ and ‘four lug nuts out of four.’ ”

Good point: Actor Samuel L. Jackson says he no longer loses his temper on the golf course.

“One day I did get angry with myself and threw a club,” he told Reader’s Digest. “My caddie told me, ‘You’re not good enough to get mad.’ ”

Looking back: On this day in 1996, Cigar’s bid for a 17th consecutive victory ended when longshot Dare And Go passed him in the upper stretch and pulled away to win the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Cigar finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Dare And Go.

Trivia answer: Michael Young.

And finally: Cincinnati Bengals guard Eric Steinbach was charged with driving a boat on the Ohio River while under the influence a few days before the team announced a hotline, (513) 381-JERK, for fans to call to report bad behavior in the stands. Steinbach is the fifth Bengals player in three months who has been accused of breaking the law.

Of the hotline, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times wrote: “The move could backfire and swamp the switchboard, Ma Bell officials fear, if callers start ratting out Bengals players.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.