Former Rams great Roman Gabriel, the NFL's first Filipino-American quarterback, passed away on Saturday morning at age 83.
Gabriel arrived in Los Angeles as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State, where he had set 22 program records and nine ACC records. He had also been chosen first overall by the Raiders in the 1962 AFL Draft, but chose to sign with the Rams.
Gabriel played 11 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Rams from 1962-72, starting in 119 of 130 games played and passing for 22,223 yards and 154 touchdowns. In 1969, he was named NFL MVP by the Associated Press and United Press International – as well as First-Team All-Pro – after throwing for 24 touchdowns against just seven interceptions while leading the Rams on an 11-game win streak to open the season. Los Angeles finished 11-3 overall that year.
Beyond those accomplishments, Gabriel was named to the Pro Bowl three times during his tenure in L.A. and four times overall in his NFL career. That fourth Pro Bowl nod came with the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he finished his remaining five NFL seasons with before retiring in 1977.
He also had a brief acting career which he began during his playing days, starring in moves like "Skidoo" and "The Undefeated" in addition to multiple appearances in commercials and TV shows.
His post-playing career included stints as the coach at Cal Poly Pomona from 1980 to 1982 and offensive coordinator of the Boston Breakers of United States Football League (USFL) in 1983. Gabriel also spent decades raising millions of dollars for various charities after his NFL career.
Gabriel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
