Roman Gabriel, one of the leading passers in professional football at the time, whose rocket arm and imposing physique accentuated his physique for 16 seasons starting in 1962, passed away on Saturday at his home in Little River, South Carolina. He passed away at the age of 83.
His death was confirmed by his son Roman Gabriel III, but the cause of death was not disclosed.
Gabriel, who played 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, was 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed about 235 pounds (hefty weight for a quarterback at the time), and resembled many linebackers. He had the physique. he faced.
He led the league with 24 touchdown passes in 14 games with the Rams in 1969 and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
He was also named Player of the Year by Pro Football Writers in 1973, his first season with the Eagles. Recovering from his knee problems and sore arm, he led the NFL in touchdown passes (23), completions (270) and passing yards (3,219) that season.
He played in four Pro Bowl games, three with the Rams in the late 1960s and one with the Eagles in 1973. However, the Rams only made it to the postseason twice, losing in the first round both times.
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. was born on August 5, 1940 in Wilmington, North Carolina. His father, originally from the Philippines, was a railroad waiter and cook and had settled in North Carolina with his wife, Edna (Wyatt) Gabriel. He was Irish-American.
Roman excelled in football, baseball, and basketball in high school and was offered a contract with the Yankees, but decided to attend college instead.
He played for the running attack-heavy North Carolina State football team from 1959 to 1961, where he threw 19 touchdown passes and ran for another 15 and was named an All-American twice.
When the American Football League, in its third season, was competing with the NFL for college talent, Gabriel was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the first overall pick in the AFL draft in 1962 and was selected by the Rams. He will be the second pick in the NFL draft.
He signed with the Rams. But in his first four seasons, when the team played with several other quarterbacks, he started less than half of the games.
When George Allen took over as head coach in 1966, Gabriel was named the Rams’ starting quarterback and led the team to an 8-6 record. It was the Rams’ first winning season since 1958.
“George Allen said, ‘I think you can play.’ He gave me hope,” Gabriel said in a video interview with Phil Boyd published on YouTube in 2018. The Book of Roman: The NFL’s Original Gunslinger”.
“He brought in Ted Marchibroda, a former pro quarterback who became the Rams’ offensive coach, and he taught me more about football than anyone in my career.”
Gabriel was already in top shape by practicing martial arts and lifting weights.
Marchibroda, who later went on to be a head coach with the Colts and Ravens, told the New York Times in 2005, “The rule before that was you didn’t want to lift weights because your muscles would get stiff and you’d lose flexibility.” “It was,” he said. .
Gabriel threw for 2,779 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1967, and the Rams finished 11-1-2, losing to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Two years later, his Rams won his first 11 games before losing to the Vikings, en route to winning the MVP award. They finished 11-3, but lost again to Minnesota in the playoffs.
He was surrounded by players who were stars in their own right, including receivers Jack Snow and Bernie Casey. running back Dick Bass; defensive linemen Marlin Olsen, Deacon Jones and Roger Brown; and linebacker Maxie Vaughn.
When Chuck Knox replaced Allen as head coach in 1973, the Rams acquired John Huddle from the San Diego Chargers with the intention of making him their starting quarterback.
Gabriel requested a trade. He was sent to an Eagles team that went 2-11-1 in 1972 and had a new head coach, Mike McCormack.
“Mike told me that with my experience and leadership, I would feel like Moses with a young football team,” Gabriel recalled in a 2015 interview for the Eagles’ website. But Mr McCormack added: “We need your leadership and work ethic.”
In 1973, the Eagles improved to 5-8-1 and Gabriel connected with 6-foot-8 Harold Carmichael, whose 67 receptions led the league. Charles Young, a 6-foot-4 tight end, was named All-Pro as a rookie. and 6-foot-3 Don Zimmerman.
As the story goes, the receivers were known as the Fire High Gang. Because when Gabriel calls a passing play, one of them says, “Fire high, baby.”
However, Gabriel was still plagued by injuries and the quality of his performances declined. He finished his career with 29,444 passing yards and 201 touchdowns before retiring after the 1977 season.
He later served as a professional football broadcaster, head coach at Cal Poly Pomona, and coach in the American Football League and World League of American Football. He was also the president of his two minor league baseball teams in North Carolina.
He also dabbled in acting. He played a headhunter in an episode of the sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” and played the Native American adopted son of an Army colonel played by John Wayne in the 1969 western “The Undefeated.”
In his later years, Gabriel ran a sports marketing company that raised large sums of money for charities.
He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989, but has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In addition to his son, Roman III, Gabriel’s survivors include three sons, Ram Allen, Rory Jay, and Brandon, and a daughter, Amber Smigel. He was married and divorced three times.
Gabriel prided himself on pairing with defensive players.
Marchibroda said a Rams offensive lineman came up to him during one game and said, “Tell Roman not to run against the linebackers when he runs with the football. We don’t want him to get hurt.” I remember saying that.
He added that when he told Gabriel about their fears, Gabriel replied, “Coach, if I don’t run into those guys, I’m not doing my best.”
Emmett Lindner Contributed to the report.
