Roman Gabriel

Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr., born August 5, 1940, in Wilmington, North Carolina, and passing on April 20, 2024, was a professional quarterback in the National Football League. He played his college ball at North Carolina State University, where he was twice named a first-team All-American. Selected second overall in the 1962 NFL draft, Gabriel spent eleven years with the Los Angeles Rams and then five more with the Philadelphia Eagles. He made history as the NFL’s first Filipino-American quarterback and remains the only Asian American to win the league’s MVP award, an honor he earned in 1969.

Gabriel grew up in poverty and battled asthma, but he excelled at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, graduating in 1958. At NC State, he became a two-time ACC Player of the Year (1960 and 1961) and set nearly every school passing record. His jersey was retired—the first in program history—and presented to him by North Carolina governor Terry Sanford during a basketball game in January 1962. As team captain, Gabriel established 22 school records and nine conference marks, throwing for 2,961 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also played baseball and was named the best amateur athlete in the Carolinas. Over his college career, he passed for 20 touchdowns and rushed for 15. In 2003, he was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Football Team, and he entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Professionally, Gabriel was the top pick of the 1962 AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders and the second overall pick in the NFL draft by the Rams. He signed with Los Angeles, wearing number 18, and later switched to number 5 with the Eagles. Over 16 NFL seasons, he earned Pro Bowl selections in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1973. In 1969, he won the NFL MVP award, and in 1973, he led the league with 3,219 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, earning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. When he retired, he held the Rams’ all-time passing marks with 22,223 yards and 154 touchdowns (on 1,705 completions out of 3,313 attempts), plus 7,221 yards and 45 touchdowns (661 completions out of 1,185 attempts) with the Eagles. As of the 2016 season, he still owned Rams career records for touchdown passes (154), pass attempts (3,313), and wins by a starting quarterback (74).

During his early years with the Rams (1962–1965), Gabriel struggled to secure the starting job, with coaches favoring Zeke Bratkowski or Bill Munson. Still, he started 23 games in that span, posting an 11–11–1 record, while the other Rams quarterbacks combined for a 4–27–2 mark in 33 starts. Notable wins included a 1965 victory over the eventual NFL champion Green Bay Packers and a win against the 11–3 Cleveland Browns. In spring 1966, Gabriel nearly left for the Raiders, who offered him a three-year, $300,000 contract with a $100,000 signing bonus—far more than his $22,500 Rams salary.

New Rams coach George Allen convinced him to stay, promising $32,000 immediately and $100,000 upon retirement, and Gabriel returned the Raiders’ bonus check without regret. Allen made him the primary starter in 1966, and Gabriel started all 14 games, leading the Rams to an 8–6 record—their first winning season since 1958. In 1967, the Rams went 11–1–2, won the NFL Coastal Division, and made the playoffs. Gabriel was named AP Offensive Player of the Week in the final two weeks, including a 27–24 comeback win over the Packers and a 34–10 division-clinching victory over the Baltimore Colts.

He finished the season with 2,779 yards and 25 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl nod. The next year, the Rams again battled the Colts for the division title but fell short after a 17–16 loss to the Chicago Bears in the thirteenth game. In 1969, the Rams opened with an 11-game winning streak.