Legendary Rams, Eagles QB Roman Gabriel dies at 83

Before getting drafted at the No. 1 overall spot in the AFL draft and the No. 2 overall spot in the NFL draft, Roman Gabriel solidified his elite quarterback play with the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

From 1959 to 1961 Gabriel led the Wolfpack from the quarterback position. They only won one game when Gabriel first became the starter, but he led them to a winning record in 1960 and a 4-6 season in 1961.

Gabriel totaled 2,951 passing yards and 19 touchdowns during his time in college. His most productive season was in 1960 when he managed to amass 1,182 yards passing and eight touchdowns.

His play was good enough to make him one of the most highly-touted college quarterbacks coming into pro football in 1962.

Roman Gabriel solidified himself as a legend with the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles

As he came into professional football, Roman Gabriel was taken No. 1 overall in the AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. He decided to go with the NFL team that drafted him No. 2 overall, which was the Los Angeles Rams.

With the Rams, Gabriel spent the majority of his career solidifying himself as an NFL legend. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and was a first-team All-Pro once with the Rams. Gabriel’s best season was in 1969 when he was crowned the league’s MVP after leading the Rams to an 11-3 record.

Gabriel accrued 22,223 passing yards and 154 passing touchdowns during his 11 seasons with the Rams. That 154 passing touchdowns mark is still the all-time record for the Rams to this day.

Gabriel spent the last five seasons with the Eagles, where he continued to play at an elite level, earning another Pro Bowl selection in 1973. He had 7,221 passing yards and 47 passing touchdowns with the Eagles in that time despite attempting just 95 passes over the last two seasons.

Support for Roman Gabriel and his family flooded social media

Upon the news that Roman Gabriel passed away, support from the NFL world poured over social media. It was initially kicked off by a post from his son that is detailed in an article from Pro Football Talk.

“I am sad to announce my father Roman Gabriel passed away peacefully this morning of natural causes at his home. The entire family asked for your prayers, and to please respect our privacy. I love you dad,” Roman Gabriel III wrote on X.

That’s when massive amounts of support from all around the NFL world took the time to look back and appreciate what Roman Gabriel did as a quarterback in the NFL.