Already members of distinguished football halls of fame, a trio of Rams legends will be inducted in another next year.
Roman Gabriel, James "Shack" Harris and Kurt Warner will join Washington legend Doug Williams as the National Quarterback Club (NQBC) Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 inductees, the organization announced Tuesday. They will be inducted during the 2020 NQBC Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 27, 2021, according to a press release.
Both events will take place at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, kicking off with a reception at 5 p.m. mountain time. The induction ceremony will take place during the awards dinner at 6:30 p.m.
"The National Quarterback Club honors uniquely courageous actions. We believe that telling the stories of those who act with leadership and courage inspires future generations to follow that example. At a time when there is much consternation, our world needs to recognize courageous leadership, respect it and require it," NQBC President Don Kile said in the release. "These awards represent a veritable timeline of great quarterbacks and great men in American football history. If there is a lesson in the lives of the four men we honor this year, it is that none of us can afford to be lookers-on standing on the sidelines. The energies and talents of all of us are needed to meet the challenges of our communities."
A 1989 College Football Hall of Fame inductee and the NFL's first Filipino-American quarterback, Gabriel joined the Rams in 1962 as the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft after being named an All-American twice and ACC Player of the Year twice during a program record-setting collegiate career at North Carolina State. After sharing quarterback duties in his first four seasons in Los Angeles, he started all 14 games in 1966 and led the Rams to their first winning season since 1958. In 1967, he was named to his first Pro Bowl after helping Los Angeles to an 11–1–2 record, an NFL Coastal Division championship and the distinction of being the highest-scoring team in the league.
Gabriel's best season with the Rams came in 1969, when he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the AP and NEA, the Player of the Year by the UPI, voted All-Pro and received his third Pro Bowl after throwing 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He played for the Rams for 11 seasons.
Harris, who played for the Rams for three seasons, belongs to the Black College Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 2012, as well as the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, Grambling State University's Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. After signing with the Rams as a free agent in 1974, he was promoted to the starting role early in the season, then helped them win seven of their final nine regular season games, a second consecutive NFC Western Division title and their first playoff win since 1951. That victory also made Harris the first black quarterback to start and win an NFL playoff game. He was also named to the 1974 NFC Pro Bowl team and won the game's MVP award.
A 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Warner's six seasons with the Rams were highlighted by three Pro Bowl selections, two Super Bowl appearances, two First-Team All-Pro selections, two NFL MVP awards and helping produce an NFL-record three-straight 500-point seasons by their offense. He was named the NQBC's National Quarterback of the Year twice – solo following the 1999 regular season, then sharing the honor with Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon after 2001 regular season.
