The Los Angeles Rams announced that Roman Gabriel, the NFL’s first Filipino-American quarterback, passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 83.
The Rams selected Gabriel with the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State. He was also taken first overall by the Raiders in the 1962 AFL Draft, but chose to sign with the Rams instead.
Gabriel played 16 NFL seasons overall with the first 11 coming with the Rams from 1962-72. He appeared in 130 games for the Rams (119) starts and threw for 22,223 yards and 154 touchdowns.
After the announcement of Gabriel’s death, the Rams organization took to social media to mourn the loss of a legend:
We mourn the loss of Rams legend and football pioneer, Roman Gabriel. We extend our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/NY6y6ddm1x
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 20, 2024
Gabriel’s best season came in 1969 when he was named NFL MVP by both the Associated Press and United Press International. He also was named a First-Team All-Pro after tossing 24 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions, leading the Rams on an 11-game win streak to open the season and finishing 11-3 overall.
During his time with the Rams, Gabriel was named to three Pro Bowls and went to four overall in his career. He moved on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles for the final five years of his career after leaving L.A. and before retiring in 1977.
After his playing career, Gabriel starred in starred in some movies, TV shows and commercials. He also had a coaching career that includes time at Cal Poly Pomona from 1980-82 and then the offensive coordinator of the Boston Breakers of United States Football League (USFL) in 1983.
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