Exclusive Interview with Roman Gabriel 

As a niner fan from those days boy you caused us a lot of grief😅 Respect

I was a 11 yr old new immigrant from the Philippines back in 1970. Our next door neighbor told me about this Filipino named Roman Gabriel. Of course, I had no clue about football and didn't comprehend his accomplishments. But I have since then. In fact, I recently ordered a customized t-shirt with his name and #18 on the back. Thank you, Mr. Gabriel! And thanks for sharing this video, Mr. Chapman.

It was a shame that he never got to play in a Super Bowl. Came close a few times.

I was steeler fan, I grew up in LA . And went to the old Los Angeles coliseum to see the rams, play with my dad. Got to see all the rams quarterbacks after Roman Gabriel play. Those were the days, RIP #18 🙏🏼🙏🏼🏈

That's a cool name, Roman Gabriel

I've been a Rams fan since 1965 and it was this gentleman and that group of players that instilled the love of the game to me. The man never went down without a fight. They don't make players like the ones of this era.

Can't help but love Roman Gabriel.

Roman should be in the NFL Home of Fame hands down.

I was 11 yrs old outside of Chicago,I was such a big ram fan I actually took a white helmet ,drew horns on it & masked them off & painted the rest blue.It came out perfect.I had to settle for a #18 bears jersey though.Deacon was my favorite but Roman wasn't far behind.

I used to be soo in love with Roman Gabriel, I am from Dallas, and he is still Good looking!!

My hero

Roman Gabriel, one of the true classic LA sports legions we boomers grew up with as kids and teens in the 60's alongside Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Jim Fregrosi, and of course Deacon Jones!

Now 62 yrs old lifelong NFL fan, I grew up outside Cincy as a Bengal fan but was a HUGE Gabriel fan and watched his career closely! I used to sit around in school and obsessively draw NFL helmets with the Rams helmet being my favorite with the horns while my beloved Bengals helmets, blah, until 1981 when we got the helmet stripes! Roman was a BEAST MODE of a QB with his size, arm strength and running ability! What an AMAZING interview with wonderful & compelling background stories of his storied career! 👏👏👏

Roman Gabriel it’s so good to here you. You are amazing you bring back to best times of my life.My dad and I would always come together and cheer you and the Rams on. God bless you sir and thank you for the times I remember most.

Roman Gabriel sounds like a really nice guy. Good sense of humor.

The total package. With that name he was destined for greatness. His name got people's attention & could get people to pay to catch a glimpse of him in a production. He had the "it" factor. He had looks. G_d given charisma. An all round good fellow. Guys wanted to be him & day dreamed about what it would be like

I was a super Cowboys fan in those days. I always respected Roman and the way he played even though he was a ram.

I remember watching Roman back when Pro Football was played on open fields, bad weather, and NONE of these bs rule changes that would come later and changed the game. Roman was an All-Star several seasons. Playoffs with the Rams playing was almost a gimme.each season Roman was with the Rams. I remember vividly the 1969 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. The weather in the Metro Stadium was super cold, snow on the field and sidelines. Even though the Rams lost, it was a game that Roman was fighting off the Viking front four (Marshall, Eller, Page, Larsen), and came up just short of a win. The Ram's "Fearsome Foursome" did their part in that game, but all the breaks went to Minnesota. It is so good to see Roman again on this video.

Great humble and nice giant of a man

Dang, I watched the whole interview and the time just flew by. Great to hear both y’all talking ball 🏈 . Those were some great Rams teams back then.

I just saw your The Undefeated movie with Rock and Duke. Very entertaining. Long live Roman Gabriel! Looking good. Sounding entertaining.

Kids < if you're watching > , this is the epitome of a classy NFL QB.

My dad took me to my first ever football game the Eagles vs Raiders in November 1976, i was 9 yrs old and I'll never forget the Raiders fumbled the opening kickoff and the Eagles recovered and two plays later Roman threw an alley-oop pass to Harold Carmichael for a touchdown and the place went nuts. That was the only score the Eagles made but I'll never forget that game. The Raiders went on to win the Super Bowl that year. Roman always reminded me of Joe Kapp. Roman looks great here.

I've been a Rams fan since I was 7 years old and Roman was one of the reasons I became one. He, Jack Snow and Merlin were my favorite players. Still a Ram fan today.

We are proud of you ROMAN GABRIEL the first filipino origin to play NFL from the Philippines ❤

Thanks for all the memories as a kid growing up on the westside of L.A. RIP #18

RIP.....My Rams Legend , My name " Roman " it came from him.

This was an excellent interview. Thank you. Mr. Gabriel was an excellent quarterback. And he is a class act. I wish he was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is deserving.

Loved watching Roman and the Rams as a kid!!!

I really hope the LA Rams pay tribute to him soon at one of the games.

I attended Roman Gabriel's football camp at Occidental College in the years 1970-71-72. Roman was absolutely amazing in every respect. A gentleman, kind, patient, devoted, inspirational, just an amazing person and perfect role model !!! Thank you so much, Roman. Along with Merlin Olsen, Alvin Haymond, Dick Bass, Ken Iman, Myron Pottios, Jack Snow and David Ray, you created a golden memory for so many of us teenagers. We love you, Roman. God bless you, sir!!! I still remember what you inscribed on the autographed photo you then gave me: "A champion never quits." I try to live these words every day, almost 50 years later !!!

Met Roman Gabriel at the gym and talked to him for about 15 minutes

my favorite player as a 7yr old kid in 1970..watching pro ball was larger than life through the 70s so much fun every week

Great interview! My late Dad was Filipino and he took us to a few Rams games at the L.A. Coliseum just to see Roman Gabriel. He's been my favorite Ram since. We actually lived on the same street he did when he played for the Rams.

When I was coming into sports consciousness the first team I was attracted to was the rams. I loved those white uniforms they had the coolest helmets and roman gabriel. He was big ben before big ben. 6'5". 245 lbs. The rams should honor the big guy. He totally deserves it.

This dude was my hero when I was a kid. When we's be outside in the neighborhood playing football I always pretended (mostly in my head) that I was the great Roman Gabriel.

I recently met Mr Gabriel. He is a true gentleman..

That was awesome!

Loved the 60s football years.

These old time athletes are great story tellers I can listen to them all day.

I became a Rams fan in 1969 the year they got the name "Undefeated" when they won 11 straight games before losing to the Vikings at the Coliseum. Then that damn playoff game against Joe Kapp and the Vikings in that snowy field up in Minnesota which the Rams lost.

First jersey I ever had was a Gabriel. Made from a white tee shirt and pen as an 8 year old in '68, one of my childhood heroes, thank you.

He was on an episode of Gilligan's Island too

Thank you for this interview. I have thought about Roman over the years and wondered how he was doing, but there really were not any recent interviews with him. Great to see that he is happy and healthy these days.

This is so great, thanks for doing this. I was like many a huge fan in the 1960s, Roman Gabriel was my hero back then.

Really enjoyed this show. Roman was my #1 sports hero growing up in the 60's and 70's. I was very saddened to hear of his passing. My heroes are now all gone. Mick, Wilt and Roman. My sympathies to you Dave as you had the honor of being his friend and he obviously had a great influence on your life. RIP Roman

Did we forget to mention Les Josephson? Durable, tough RB for many years with the Gabriel / G. Allen era Rams. BTW, that's one nice official helmet. Great QB, an even greater person. Ahh, 1969 ... that was the year we were to go all the way! 1966 - 70. Terrific Rams teams.

One of the things I remember about Roman, back in the day, was that he was the loudest opponent of the six game pre-season schedule. The players did not get paid for the pre-season games and the owners got to keep all the money. The same holds true today, even though today's players are able to work out year 'round and are able to come to camp in top shape and don't need four pre-season games to get ready.

As a teenager Roman Gabriel was my hero. Him being a superb quarterback with the Rams and for all I knew he was a mex from L.A. Me being born in L.A. Made him to be a shining hero in my life. I promised myself and told my wife that I would name a son in his honor. Had to wait for my second son since the wife named the first one in my name and then asked me to drop one of the two names and so I named him Gabriel who was born 10/15/1976.

Great interview, thank you . Love hearing all those old names.

Filipinos are great people. Great athletes and very tough people.

Thank you David what a great interview with a wonderful man, Roman. We love you Roman may you rest in peace sir. I always looked up to you. I was a Lions fan but had a soft spot for the Rams and yourself particularly.

If Roman Gabriel isn't in the hall of fame within a year then I will just watch college football only. Roman Gabriel brought so many people to enjoy the NFL. He was in the Golden Era of football. A pioneer of Elevating the game to popular Attraction it has become. The Rams were ALWAYS top contenders with Roman Gabriel.

there was a rubber donut in side those helmets,,great video

Rest easy Roman

Just stumbled on this interview. What a treat! As with many, Roman Gabriel was a childhood idol of mine and enjoyed his play with the LA Rams back in the day. Great to hear his recollections of his playing days. As a big Rams fan, it was great to hear about the other Rams players as well. #18 needs to be retired and Hall of Fame induction a must! Thanks so much for the interview and post.

Thank you for posting this interview. I would very much like to meet Roman Gabriel seeing as I was named after this great man.

He had really good stats! Remember it was a totally different game during his era. 🏈

a long time hero.

What a nice guy.

Good Interview. Roman Gabriel is like WWE's Batista. Dad is Tagalog Filipino and Mom is Irish American (Batista is of Greek descent from his mother). 1) Roman Gabriel was QB of L.A. Rams and Philadelphia Eagles and North Carolina State Univ with NFL-MVP, 2 * the most passing yards, 4*Pro-Bowl, 2*All-Pro, College Football Hall of Fame, All American, and No.18 of North Carolina State Univ is retired number. Others are, 2) Heins Ward was WR of Pittsburgh Steelers and Georgia University with 2*Superbowl Champion, Superbowl MVP, 4*ProBowl, 4*All-Pro, Pittsburgh Steelers all time team. 3) Dat Nguyen was LB of Dallas Cowboys and Texas A&M with All-Pro, All Rookie Team, Hall of Fame of College Football, Texas Sportspeople, Texas A&M, Lombardi Award, Big12-Defensive, All-American, and the leading player of all time Dalls Cowboys and Texas A&M for the number of Tackles succeeded and both are not replaced yet. 4) Patrick Chung is Safety of New England Patriots and was playing for Oregon University and he is professionaly active now, and 2*Superbowl champions. 5) Scott Fujita was LB of New Orleans Saints and UC Berkeley with 1*Superbowl Champion. 6) Kailee Wong was LB and LM of Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans and was All American as Linemen in College Football when he was playing for Stanford University. The 6 players above were (and currently active Pat Chung is) solid roster that joined all the game as game-starting roster for many years. They are much like, much like Ichiro Suzuki in MLB with the most hits in a season, 3*Top Average Hitter, 2*Steal Title, 10*Gold Glove Award, 1*AL MVP, and Yao Ming in NBA with 5*All-NBA, 8*NBA-All-Star, the Top Scorer Title in FIBA Basetball World Cup in 2006 held in Japan, and All Tournament Team of the World Cup in 2002 held in the USA and the Reboud Leader Title in Oympic Game in Athens 2004, as the tallest player in NBA. They are much like Manny Pacquiao with 8 class weight division world champion in Boxing, Michael Chang as the youngest champion of Grand Slam of all time Tennis history when he won champion title in French Open and Tennis Hall of Famer, and much like Batista in WWE with his 5*Heavy-Weight Champion Titles. Yes, you are right. It is much like Asian sportspeople win soooo many Gold Medal in Olympic Games, from Judo, Wrestling, Fencing, Weightlifting, Swimming, Volleyball, Gymnastics, Shooting, Table Tennis, Badminton, Marathon, Truck and Fields (both sprinting and hammer-throwing), and Rally Car Race like Paris Dakar Rally and LeMan 24, Moto GP etc etc. So not all asian are geek and nerd. the World Tallest Man without health problem which means the naturally Tallest Man is also Asian Man, certified by Guinness. Yes, you are correct, BUAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

I remember I played QB in my youth days. Growing up playing and watching in Los Angeles the Quarterback Roman Gabriel was the star. He is big as John Wayne in those days . It seems like the Hall of Fame didn't like the rugged men of the NFL , Gabriel was a beast on the defensive tacklers then his rocket arm on the Rams and the Eagles. What a legend he was a big in fluence in Los Angeles football. An example he was helping develop Banning High/Rams legend Vince Ferragamo.

my sons namesake...great guy seen him in NC couple yrs ago

Really enjoyed the interview. Many thanks to you at DC / Chapman Sports Collectables, Inc.

I wish he would have talked about his Philadelphia Eagles days I saw him play in Philly

Like watching him in the movie the Undefeated with John Wayne

My favorite player of all time. glad to see you still around. they would have got more respect had they won are went to the Superbowl the year the Vikings did and lost to the Chiefs. I think if that your would have went through he would have made the Hall of Fame why do you still my favorite player. I wants traded Jimmy Brown 2nd Year card for his rookie card I was young.

Great video and interview David, will be contacting you. Mr. Olsen, and Mr. Gabriel were so kind to me as a kid at the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio when the played the Oilers. It was only a preseason game, but being my first NFL game it mine as well have been the Super Bowl to me. I will be visiting your website you seem like a honest man, thanks again!

Good old Ron "Jaws" Jaworski was Roman's NFL nemesis. He replaced Roman at the QB1 position with both the Rams and the Eagles ! 😅

Roman was the first giant quarterback that could get off a throw with guys draped all over him.

PS: Just kidding about remembering so many players during Gabriel's long and illustrious career with the Rams. Josephson was just one among many such fine teammates.

You where my childhood im going to be Roman after 7:19 the games on sundays 1964 65 66 , in the catholic church yard

Dudes hair in the jersey is epic. Go Rams!

Still a handsome hunk!

Nice interview very nice man both of you.I always heard stories about Roman when I was a kid from my dad who was a fan, he is still a fan but was always Steelers and Eagles , but loved to tell about how good Roman was. Didn't he also play in a movie with John Wayne? anyway God bless. oh yea my mom always thought he was hot lol!

Great talent, but humble. A class act. In contrast to Aaron Rodgers.

Blu-boy!

I’m finding more and more about this guy He’s related to me ima Gabriel

I remember Roman with the eagles fly eagles fly

Great qb strong arm and needed 3 men to bring him down in the pocket

Was this really last year? Wouldn't he have been 76 by then since he was born in 1940? He looks very young, like he's in his 50s.

my all time favorite rams childhood hero. ....big gabe

He is a little older than me but he had one hell of a throwing arm stronger that these guy today,but Decon gave him all the time he needed!

Gabe's Gang!

I ALWAYS LIKED ROMAN I THOUGH HE WAS THE BEST

He was one of the first Asian players in the league

How can I get an autograph? I had one when I was a child. Photo. Lost. 1966 named Roman and now my son born in 2012 was also named Roman. Any help would be appreciated.

George Allen should of taken Roman with him to Washington. Wonder why he didn't?

I see hes got that old rams hemet sitting there.

Very interesting fact Roman Gabriel is of Filipino descent he was good.

Roman was married to a friend of mines sister Tedra Bidwell . we all lived in Redondo Beach CA and went to school together

The new generation young overseers that select and choose to enter the HOF needs to go back and study vintage all pro NFL players from each team they have the time to research they're too lazy to do so Roman Gabriel should have been selected along time ago the argument is that he never won the big game so have many that been selected including past QB'S

What is Superstar Roman Gabriel is!!

RIP

I mean no distance back to Roman's wife, but I can just listen to his stories forever

Seeing him in The Undefeated prompted me to look to see if he was still kicking....

GOD BLESS YOU RO.

Playing in that L.A coliseum heat had to be some kind of miserable that explains why the rams always wore their white at home.

I wonder how old is he?he looks great just a little chunky around the middle but he still looks great.

there will be on going debates about who is the greatest quarterback of all time, but when it comes to TOUGHNESS:ROMAN GABRIEL BY FAR IS NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!