Wilmington sports legend Roman Gabriel dead at 83

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Wilmington sports legend Roman Gabriel dead at 83​

Wilmington Native Roman Gabriel, one of pro football’s best quarterbacks during the 1960s, passed away Saturday morning, his son announced. He was 83 years old. The New Hanover High School Wildcat was All-State honoree for football, basketball and baseball. Gabriel went on to play quarterback at NC State where he would become a two-time ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-American twice. The Wildcat’s field is named after him and Sonny Jurgensen. He is also a 2017 inductee of the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame. Gabriel was a Pro Bowl pick four times. He threw for 22,223 yards and 154 touchdowns in his 11-year career with the Rams, leaving that franchise as its career leading passer.

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Roman Gabriel, Star Quarterback of the 1960s and ’70s, Dies at 83​

In 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles, he played in four Pro Bowl games and reached the postseason twice.

Roman Gabriel, one of the leading pro football passers of his time, who complemented his rocket arm with an imposing physique over 16 seasons beginning in 1962, died on Saturday at his home in Little River, S.C. He was 83. Playing for 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and five with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gabriel, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed about 235 pounds — hefty for a quarterback in that era — had a build akin to that of many of the linebackers he faced. He was voted the N.F.L.’s Most Valuable Player when he led the N.F.L. in touchdown passes, with 24, in a 14-game season with the 1969 Rams.

He was also named the comeback player of the year by pro football writers in 1973, his first season with the Eagles. Coming off knee problems and a sore arm, he led the N.F.L. in touchdown passes (23), completions (270) and passing yardage (3,219) that season. Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr., was born on Aug. 5, 1940, in Wilmington, N.C. His father, a native of the Philippines, a railroad waiter and cook, had settled in North Carolina with his wife, Edna (Wyatt) Gabriel, who was Irish American. Roman was a standout in football, baseball and basketball in high school and was offered a contract with the Yankees’ organization, but he decided to attend college instead.

Playing from 1959 to 1961 for North Carolina State football teams that emphasized a running attack, he threw for 19 touchdown passes, ran for another 15 and was a two-time all-American. At a time when the American Football League, embarking on its third season, was competing for college talent with the N.F.L., Gabriel was selected by the Oakland Raiders as the A.F.L.’s overall No. 1 pick in the 1962 draft and chosen by the Rams as the second selection in the N.F.L. draft. Named the Rams’ regular quarterback when George Allen became head coach in 1966, Gabriel took the team to an 8-6 record. It was the Rams’ first winning season since 1958.

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roman gabriel, first filipino american qb, dies at 83
From 1967 to 1970, Gabriel led the Rams to a 41-14-4 record and two division titles, though never a playoff game. He was voted MVP in 1969 after throwing for 2,549 yards with 24 touchdown passes and five rushing scores. Gabriel, who played at NC State and was a two-time player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.