His father left when he was 5 years old, his mother was an alcoholic and lived on the street, and his brother went to jail several times.
Jon Volpe, being only 5 feet 7 inches tall, received a football scholarship to Stanford University, where he was an all-conference running back (leading in rushing yards), earning GTE Academic All-American honors and being named a Rhodes Scholar nominee (while getting a BSc in engineering.)
Volpe was named an All-Star and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award.
Volpe moved to the expansion Las Vegas Posse in 1994, rushing 43 times for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns in four games.
This biographical article relating to a Canadian football running back is a stub.