Raul Papaleo
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Raul Papaleo (born (October 11, 1971) in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is considered by many islanders to be the greatest Beach Volleyball player in Puerto Rico.
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Born in the Ocean Park section of San Juan, to a middle class family, Papaleo is one of three siblings. Papaleo received his primary and secondary education in San Juan and would spend most of his free time by the beach. At an early age he would participate in many aquatic sports but, one afternoon he watched some local residents playing volleyball in the beach and he became interested in the sport. Papaleo, attended Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne after graduating from high school and studied Human Resources. In the mean time, he continued playing volleyball.
In 1990, Papaleo qualified to play for the Puerto Rican National Team which is governed by the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee. He played Indoor Volleyball and in 1991 he made a Final Four appearance. In 1992, Papaleo qualified for the NCAA All-American second team. That year, he also made the Volleyball Monthly All-American third team and helped his team to another Final Four appearance. In 1995, Papaleo won the AVP qualifier in Denver, Colorado in Beach Volleyball. That same year, he played in the Pre-Olympic qualifier for Puerto Rico. In 1996 He was named AVP Rookie of the Year.
In the Pan-American Games held in the Dominican Republic on August of 2003, Raul Papaleo and his team mate, Ramon Hernandez, won the bronze Medal by defeating the U.S.A. team, represented by David Fischer and Brad Torsone, by 21-17 and 21-14 in 43 minutes.
Raul Papaleo and Ramon Hernandez represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics which were celebrated in Athens, Greece. This was the first time in the history of Puerto Rico that the island was represented with a Beach Volleyball Team in an Olympic competition.
Papaleo's total domestic earnings from 1994-2003 were $74,560 and his total international earnings from 1996-2004 have been $34,626 for a grand total of $109,185 monies earned.
When not playing internationally, Papaleo plays locally for the "Caribes de San Sebastian" in the "Liga Superior de Voleibol Masculino" (Superior League of Masculine Volleyball) of Puerto Rico. In 1999, he was awarded the "Gentleman of the Year Award" from the league.
The basketball court, where volleyball is also played, of the Jose Gautier Benitez high school of Caguas is named after Raul Papaleo.
