The ancient Romans were known for going into hostile territory and conquering vast amounts of land.
Roman Gabriel was also known as a quarterback who could get his teams into opposing territory and score touchdowns.
During a career that spanned 16 years, Gabriel passed for over 29,000 yards and also tossed 201 touchdown passes.
Roman Gabriel likes up against the @Browns, 1960s. I like the blue and white Rams unis. Anyone else? pic.twitter.com/QiBWE4Nmz9
— Sports Days Past (@SportsDaysPast) January 12, 2019
As the first NFL quarterback of Filipino-American descent, he was the NFL MVP and the league’s Comeback Player of the Year as well.
When he wasn’t conquering foes on the field, Gabriel was stealing hearts off the gridiron as an actor in television and the movies.
After retiring, Gabriel spent the next several decades as a football analyst and coach.
This is the story of Roman Gabriel.
Son of an Immigrant
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. was born on August 5, 1940, in Wilmington, North Carolina.
#OnThisDay August 5, 1940, Roman Gabriel, Jr. was born in Wilmington. Gabriel gained fame as the quarterback for N.C. State from 1959 to 1961. In 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: https://t.co/ya9ZRDccis pic.twitter.com/WgB5thPOl0
— NC DNCR (@ncculture) August 5, 2019
His father, Roman Sr., was an immigrant from the Philippines who made his living as a railroad worker.
After meeting and marrying his wife, Edna, they settled in the Wilmington area.
“They might’ve have been the only four Filipino families in the whole state,” Gabriel said in 2018.
In the years after Roman was born, he was constantly sick and suffered from asthma, but his condition didn’t prevent him from wanting to play sports.
Football was in the Gabriel family’s blood and Roman had a personal inspiration to the game.
“My cousin ‘Emo’ Boado was a great athlete,” the 78-year-old Gabriel told NBC News. “He was the first Filipino I knew to play college football.”
Even with his health condition, Gabriel jumped into sports with both feet.
By the time he reached New Hanover High School in Wilmington, Gabriel was growing like a weed at well over six feet tall and had a strong, right arm.
He never took a season off and starred as a football, basketball, and baseball player for the Wildcats.
Gabriel’s ability to navigate the intricacies of each sport led to his selection as an All-State athlete for all three.
Colleges in the area got to know the Gabriel family and were well-versed in Roman’s ability to play ball.
When it came time to choose a school, Gabriel matriculated a few hours northwest to Raleigh, North Carolina, to suit up for the NC State Wolfpack.
All-American
Gabriel arrived on campus in 1958 as a towering, 6’4”, 190-pound freshman.
NCAA rules at the time stipulated that freshmen couldn’t play varsity sports.
So, he used that year to embark on a weight-lifting regimen that helped him pack on more pounds for the 1959 season.
When head coach Earle Edwards’s team trotted onto the field for 1959, Gabriel was the Wolfpack’s starter at quarterback.
He had his work cut out for him as NC State only mustered one victory.
Gabriel passed for 832 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions and his .604 passing percentage led all of college football.
We mourn the passing of our legendary former quarterback Roman Gabriel and offer our condolences to his family.
More about this Hall of Famer: https://t.co/GJHEp5h4t8 pic.twitter.com/yPvI5v9vfz
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) April 20, 2024
Not only did Gabriel lead the Wolfpack on offense, he played time as a linebacker on defense.
During a September 24 contest against the University of North Carolina in 1960, it was Gabriel who stymied a Tar Heal touchdown attempt.
As the UNC ball carrier neared Gabriel, he reached out and knocked the pigskin loose, helping to preserve a 3-0 win.
When he was under center, Gabriel became the first signal-caller in ACC history to top 1,000 yards passing in a season when he threw for 1,182 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven picks.
NC State improved to 6-3-1 and Gabriel was selected as an All-American, All-Atlantic Coast Conference member, and picked as the ACC Player of the Year.
Wolfpack Two-Sport Star
Remarkably, Gabriel not only shined on the gridiron, he excelled as a baseball player for the Pack.
He had already declined to be a member of the New York Yankees while in high school so he could attend college.
During the spring of 1961, Gabriel led NC State with 18 RBIs and five home runs.
His play grabbed the attention of voters who declared Gabriel the best amateur athlete of the Carolinas.
Even more amazing, the basketball coaches at State wanted Gabriel to play hoops for them, but his mother forbade it, saying he needed to work on his studies (he was selected as an Academic All-American in 1961).
“There’s no telling how great he could have been, and that includes basketball and baseball [if Gabriel would have played just one sport],” said former NC State athletics administrator Frank Weedon. “He was a super athlete. For his era, the best.”
Later on that fall, Gabriel and the Wolfpack went 4-6 as he passed for 937 yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Entering the 1962 #NFLDraft, the #NCState 22 record holder, Roman Gabriel was a physical monster at 6'4 235 lbs, changing the typical mold at the quarterback position forever with his rocket arm, pinpoint accuracy & ability to shed tacklers like no other. #NFLDraftweek #Rams #LA pic.twitter.com/9CRTxQb2YR
— Roman Gabriel for Pro Football Hall of Fame (@RGabriel4HOF) April 25, 2019
Once again, the accolades came pouring in.
For the second year in a row, Gabriel was an All-American, All-ACC, ACC Player of the Year, and given the McKelvin Award as the conference’s top athlete.
During his three-year career, Gabriel passed for 2,951 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions while setting nine ACC and 22 NC State passing records.
Happy Birthday Roman! Gabriel, a two-time ACC Player of the Year at NC State, set 22 school records in three years. pic.twitter.com/gg6pOGybGe
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) August 5, 2016
On the ground, he added 326 yards and 15 additional scores.
In early 1962, Gabriel’s number 18 was retired by the university (a program first) and no less than the state’s governor, Terry Sanford, was on hand to present him with the honor.
Gabriel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and was an inaugural member of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
More “Firsts”
While playing sports for the Wolfpack, Gabriel had mostly shed the label of being a Filipino.
“Once you become an athlete, you’re a little more accepted,” Gabriel said in 2018. “As I became more proficient as an athlete, I wasn’t a Filipino, I was just an American.”
Still, the moniker stuck for eternity when Gabriel became a pro football player.
In 1962, he was picked by the NFL’s LA Rams and the American Football League’s Oakland Raiders (both in the first round), ultimately signing with the Rams for $15,000 and a $5,000 signing bonus.
Roman Gabriel was the second overall selection in the 1962 NFL Draft out of #NCState by the #Rams, and was also chosen by the Raiders as the number one overall pick in the AFL Draft.
He would sign a three-year/$15,000 deal with the Rams, with a $5,000 signing bonus.
Oakland had… pic.twitter.com/mNDiu0dP4x
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) April 20, 2024
At nearly 6’5” and 220 pounds, Gabriel was believed to be the tallest quarterback in NFL history as well as its first Filipino-American quarterback.
For the next four years, Gabriel rarely started.
RIP to Roman Gabriel. The 1969 MVP had a severely underrated career and broke barriers as the first Filipino QB in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/EyrzsTE3Xr
— Jim Marshall to the HOF (@JimMarshallFan) April 21, 2024
Head coaches Bob Waterfield and then Harland Svare primarily went with Bill Munson or Zeke Bratkowski from 1962-1965.
Waterfield in particular didn’t much care for Gabriel.
“He said I was too dumb to play quarterback, that I couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time,” Gabriel told the Sacramento Bee in 2007.
Gabriel started 23 games during that period and had his best year in 1963 when he started nine times and passed for 1,947 yards, eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Gabriel is Named the NFL MVP
Before the 1966 season, former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator George Allen was hired as the Rams head coach.
Allen’s first order of business was to name Gabriel his full-time starter.
Roman Gabriel shows the Rams what the real "throwback" home whites should look like. pic.twitter.com/wwHYMbK3ig
— SportsPaper (@SportsPaperInfo) August 16, 2016
While the team improved from four wins in 1965 to eight in ‘66, Gabriel passed for over 2,500 yards, 10 touchdowns and 16 picks.
Finally, in 1967, the Rams put a beating on their opponents and won a then-franchise best 11 times against only one loss and two ties.
Gabriel was voted to his first Pro Bowl after passing for 2,779 yards, 25 touchdowns (a career-high), 13 picks and running for a career-best six touchdowns.
Unfortunately, LA lost to Green Bay in the conference playoffs and won 10 games in 1968 after a second consecutive Pro Bowl year by Gabriel.
#oldschool #football #RomanGabriel #Rams @RamsNFL @SoCalRamsBC pic.twitter.com/POWQyd8VZ9
— Roman Gabriel 3 (@RomanGabriel3rd) May 15, 2024
Then, in 1969, the Rams returned to the postseason after an 11-3 record before stumbling to the Minnesota Vikings, 23-20, in the conference round.
Based on his 2,549 passing yards, league-leading 24 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and NFL-best 1.8 interception percentage, Gabriel was voted the NFL MVP.
He was also selected for his third straight Pro Bowl.
Trade to Philly
Between 1970 and 1972, Gabriel continued slinging the football and led the NFL with 407 pass attempts in ‘70.
Meanwhile, the Rams won nine games that year followed by eight in 1971 but did not qualify for the playoffs.
After retiring years later, Gabriel would say that not winning a playoff game or championship while with the Rams was one of his biggest regrets.
Super B-Day to Roman Gabriel. 98% of WWE moves were legal to use on QBs in his era & he wore a damn single bar anyway pic.twitter.com/2exvIlNDnE
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 5, 2015
Even though the organization went 32-7-3 from 1967 through 1969, the NFL playoff structure was different than it is today.
At the time, home-field advantage was decided by a team’s previous year’s record instead of the record that year, like it is today.
Gabriel believed that the Rams would have won their two playoff games in ‘67 and ‘69 if they had been home instead of on the road, especially when they played Green Bay.
“Today, the team that finishes with the best regular season record, the playoff game goes there. When we played, you had to go to where the team had a better record the year before,” said Gabriel, before chuckling. “It’s a little different coming out of 80-degree weather into 20 below zero. The only thing I wish in my career is that we had a shot to play a home game in Los Angeles in the playoffs,” he added.
In 1973, the Rams hired Chuck Knox to be its new head coach and Knox signed former Chargers quarterback John Hadl.
Gabriel threatened to play for the Southwestern Football League’s Las Vegas Casinos rather than compete with Hadl.
However, the deal to play with the Casinos ultimately broke down when the franchise stated that a legal resolution of Gabriel’s contract with the Rams wouldn’t be resolved in time.
Not long after, LA traded its former star to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a pair of players and three draft picks.
Comeback Player of the Year
The Eagles and head coach Mike McCormack were excited to bring Gabriel aboard.
Philly had only two wins in 1972 and hoped their gun slinger from LA would get them to the top.
Before playing for his new team, Gabriel worked out with martial artist Gus Hoefling to help get his battered body back in shape.
“…if I’d had the martial arts all along, my career would have lasted at least three more years,” said Gabriel in 1997.
It paid off, to say the least.
1973 Comeback Player of the Year and commander of the Fire High Gang, Roman Gabriel. @Ol_TimeFootball @NFL_Journal @SportsDaysPast @79_nfl @nflthrowback @ban1helmetnfl @RGabriel4HOF @1960sSports @classicTVsports pic.twitter.com/xexbiNpNqx
— Eagles Over the Years (@EaglesOrtheYear) May 9, 2020
In his first season with his new club, Gabriel wowed fans with 3,219 yards (career-best), 23 touchdowns and 12 picks.
“The trade for Gabe made us a football team,” McCormack said. “We thought we were trading for a leader, but we got a super leader instead.”
He led the NFL with his passing yards and touchdowns and also led the league in attempts (460), completions (270), and yards passing per game (229.9).
That year he found receivers Harold Carmichael and Don Zimmerman and tight end Bob Young (who all stood 6’4” or taller) on a consistent basis and the group was known as the “Fire High Gang.”
Roman Gabriel and the Fire High Gang#Eagles pic.twitter.com/kKoDZjkPZQ
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) April 21, 2024
The name stuck after Gabriel was quoted about his relative ease in throwing to the trio.
“All I have to do,” Gabriel said, “is fire high.”
Although Philly only increased their win total to five, Gabriel later said it was an enjoyable season.
“That was a fun year,” Gabriel said. “I was pretty much written off after my last year with the Rams. But the Eagles took a chance on me and I was so grateful. It was a young team that was trying to build something and they wanted me to be a part of it. I loved Philadelphia. It’s a great city with great fans. It’s still a great memory.”
After the season ended, Gabriel was selected for his fourth Pro Bowl and the NFL named him its Comeback Player of the Year.
Gabriel Calls it Quits
Philly’s victory count reached seven in 1974 as Gabriel started 11 times and passed for 1,867 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 picks.
The 1975 season began a steady regression as Gabriel started fewer and fewer games each year while the Eagles mustered only a handful of wins.
By 1976, he was backing up Ron Jaworski who had been a Ram himself from 1973 through 1976.
After the 1977 season, Gabriel called it quits.
In his 16-year career, Gabriel passed for 29,444 yards, 201 touchdowns, 149 interceptions and rushed for 1,304 yards and 30 touchdowns.
He was a four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, NFL passing yards leader once, passing touchdowns leader twice, NFL MVP, and NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Life After the NFL
When he played for the Rams, Gabriel was an actor in television, commercials and films.
His work credits include appearing on the Merv Griffin Show, Gilligan’s Island, Perry Mason and Wonder Woman and he had parts in movies such as Skidoo and John Wayne’s The Undefeated.
Did you know that #LARams star quarterback Roman Gabriel starred in the John Wayne movie “the Undefeated” playing a Native American named Blue Boy that released in 1969 #Hollywood #LosAngeles #RomanGabriel4HOF #NFL pic.twitter.com/bpWeeDU1Uh
— Roman Gabriel for Pro Football Hall of Fame (@RGabriel4HOF) February 11, 2018
After retiring, Gabriel worked as a football analyst for CBS television, CBS Radio, and Carolina Panthers Radio.
When he wasn’t in the broadcast booth, Gabriel coached the Cal Poly Pomona football team from 1980-1982 and was the head coach for the World League of American Football’s Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks in 1991.
Not forgetting his baseball roots, Gabriel also dabbled as an administrator for the sport.
“I was the president of the Gastonia Rangers and the Charlotte Knights,” Gabriel said in 2015. “Charlotte was AA and then when I retired from there they became AAA. And Gastonia was A ball. They used to be the Texas Rangers’ farm team. And do you know who was playing in Gastonia? (Ivan) ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez, the great catcher who became a big star. And in Charlotte, we had Curt Schilling, Jim Thome and Greg Olson. We had some pretty good kids.”
No matter what he did for a living or how far removed from his playing days, Gabriel remained an inspiration to Filipino people from all walks of life.
RIP Roman Gabriel 🙏🏻#Rams #Eagles
A Tribute to a Colossus of a Quarterback
The 1969 NFL MVP, 1973 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year, and the Rams' all-time career leader in touchdown passes pic.twitter.com/rFUOABC2P3
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) April 20, 2024
“I still get letters from Filipino young people,” said Gabriel in 2018. “A lot of youngsters — because of YouTube — say ‘If you could do it, I could do it!'”
On April 20, 2024, Gabriel died at age 83 of natural causes in South Carolina.
References
https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1857
https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/10/27/los-angeles-rams-quarterback-roman-gabriel-december-7-1970
https://thediplomat.com/2013/08/who-says-asians-cant-play-american-football/
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/where-are-they-now-qb-roman-gabriel-14855560
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/roman-gabriel-1.html
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article287882720.html
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GabrRo00.htm
https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2024-04-20/roman-gabriel-rams-quarterback-dies-at-83
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