Roman Gabriel has passed away at the age of 83. When I was a kid at school back in the 70’s I would always order “Scholastic” paperback books about NFL teams and players, especially Quarterbacks! “Roman Gabriel” was always such a cool sounding name to my 9 year old mind! Plus, he played with a one bar facemask, which made him look tough! Gabriel was retro before retro was cool! Roman Gabriel was a first round draft pick by the Los Angeles Rams out of North Carolina State in 1962. Gabriel was 6’ 4” and 225 lbs, huge for QB’s of that era! He was known for having one of the strongest throwing arms of his time. Roman Gabriel played 16 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1962 to 1977. Gabriel led the NFL twice in touchdown passes in 1969 and 1973. Rest in Peace QB Roman Gabriel, another memory of my childhood as time marches on.
Same age...same feelings. We used to ride our bikes all over LA from the Valley to over the hill. Dodger day games and bleacher seats. Nobody would let their kids do that now. Nor should they I suppose. Roman Gabriel to Jack Snow over the radio with Dick Enberg on the call. Those were the days my friend.
In the early 1990's, I worked as a security guard for six months at a business park in Charlotte that was nearly deserted on the weekends. I did three twelve hour shifts from 6pm to 6am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They gave me an old Chrysler K car for my patrol car and it barely drove! There was one office that usually had a light on and it was the office of a flag football team that was only in business for a year. A man was usually in this office on Saturday from about 6-8 p.m. and I would stop by during my hourly rounds to see how he was doing. This guy was handsome and intelligent and he seemed to love my visits. It took me a few weeks to realize that this was Roman Gabriel! The man used to bring me an iced tea and hamburger from Wendy's, since I was not allowed to leave the job site. I had a movie poster collection and I had a one-sheet from "The Undefeated", a John Wayne/Rock Hudson western in which Gabriel had a strong good role. Roman Gabriel signed this poster and I still have it. Roman raved about how Wayne and Hudson treated him and the others on the set. "Wayne could really play chess", said Roman. I stopped by his office one Saturday and the place was gutted-----the team had folded. Roman Gabriel was some kind of guy.
Roman Gabriel playing in the Colliseum! Passing to Jack Snow! Deacon Jones and the Fearsome Foursome! It was a great time to be kid in the 60's. Gabriel and Merlin Olsen had a Volkswagen dealership, and Gabriel did Burger King commercials, showing how to grip a Whopper.
RIP to the man who introduced me to the game of football and made me a RAMS FAN FOR LIFE. He was the toughest QB to ever LIVE...ROMAN GABRIEL...Died on my FATHERS' BIRTHDAY.
Gabriel was the reason I became a Rams fan back in the late 60's, so many fond memories of years past. Thanks Dave as usual for your hard work and a great tribute to Roman Gabriel.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid who also grew up in LA also played HS football during the same period as Moon ..... ( they are about the same age ) also looked up to Roman Gabriel
One of my childhood heroes. Another gone. Dickey Betts 2 days ago. Roman Gabriel today. Requiescat en pace, may the archangel Gabriel guide you to the gates of heaven.
It is the Hall of FAME, not of excellence. Gabriel threw 52 more touchdowns than interceptions. Joe Loser Boozebag threw more interceptions than touchdowns. I grew up watching the Jets with my Dad. He would sit there and say, "Namath is horrible." He was a horrible player with a big mouth.
Early October 1967 .. Cotton Bowl .. Cowboys host Roman Gabriel and the Rams. As an 11 year old Dallas fan at the game .. Don Meredith was my hero. BUT .. I was very fortunate to meet Roman before the game [not uncommon back then]. Roman disassembled my Cowboys - a real thrashing. Roman was my alternate favorite hero after that game. I can remember thinking .. "Wow .. this guy is so big ..!" Such a tough player. Today's players pale in comparison. Dave .. you bring back such wonderful memories for us kids of the 60's ..!
RIP Roman Gabriel 😢 Thank you so much for posting this. Watching these old NFL Films highlight reels with the classic music brings back a flood of childhood memories. This is pro football I totally relate to! The game I loved and remember today, sometimes with a tear in my eye. Thanks again, Jim
Thank you Roman for all you are and were.. from a little boy who always had to be #18, who idolized you and never stopped. Rest in Peace Roman.. you deserve it.
Oh no. I'm sorry to hear Gabriel passed away. One of the very first QBs I was aware of as a kid. My 2nd-oldest brother was a Rams fan and had a watercolor Rams poster that prominently featured #18. I thought his name sounded really cool too. Thanks for putting this tribute together, Dave. You are one of a kind and a tremendous steward of the NFL from days gone by.
Same here, only HE was the first Quarterback I was made aware of because my Dad was a football fan and we lived in Los Angeles and I went to my first football game at the LA Coliseum. I can still remember those blue and white helmets and jerseys before they switched to yellow, blue, and white. Also, I remember hearing the stadium announcer calling out 3 names in particular, #18 Roman Gabriel, #34 Les Josephson, and #84 Jack Snow. RIP Mr Gabriel 🏈 .
Ditto. He was one of my earliest recollections of an NFL player. I think because of his “cool” name, as mentioned in an earlier comment. Unfortunately, not many players of this era still around. Always kind of considered them timeless and invincible.
Thanks for this tribute to Roman Gabriel #18. As a kid, I was heart broken when the Rams traded him. He was big , tough, and always gave 100 %. RIP Mr. Gabriel.
Thank you for this outstanding post of Roman Gabriel! And of course such videos are a joy to watch when they are narrated by The Incomparable John Facenda and they include classic NFL Films music!
Thanks again Dave for posting this. Good memories to hang on to. You’ve provided a fountain of youth to those of us who first became acquainted with the NFL as kids of the early 70’s. Was a great time to be a kid and a football fan.
I had the privilege of meeting Roman a couple of times. Really a great person! I asked him if he was disappointed in going to the Eagles. He said Philly treated him really great! Chuck Knox had taken over in LA and wanted John Hadl. Roman only got to the playoffs twice and it was in GB to the eventual SB Champions and in Minnesota to the eventual NFL Champions.
My dad had a SI poster of him (and another of Alex Karras) from the late 1960’s. Big cool photo type pics too; No festooned NFL/Rams logo or eyesore colors/graphics getting in the way of it either. Not even script or a NAME was fixed to it. 😄 Classic. RIP.
Had two different seasons leading the league in TD passes and interception rate-with different teams (Rams in '69, then Eagles in '73). The second time, he also led the league in passing yards. He had the best interception rate (tied with Staubach) despite also throwing more passes than anyone else. Yeah, I'm going to say what I always seem to say: underrated. Super underrated.
I remember being a kid and how popular Gabriel was with the kids. Everyone wanted to be the first to get his football card every year. His peak years were 1967-69. Unfortunately, he never won a playoff game, losing to Green bay in 1967 and to Minnesota in 1969. The Rams led the Vikes 17-7 at halftime, but fell apart in the second half in the bitter 11 degree weather. After missing the playoffs from 1970 to 1972, Gabriel was traded to Philadelphia. He had a great year in 1973 playing for an awful Eagles team, but would lose his starting job when the Rams and Eagles made another trade and Ron Jaworski claimed the starting job. The Rams got quite a haul for Gabriel, the package included Harold Jackson, John Cappalletti and Dennis Harrah. I miss those days and those players. Football just isn't the same. They must have had some great football teams at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Six years before Gabriel quarterbacked the football team, their quarterback was a guy named Sonny Jurgensen.
Grew up in the 70s in LA and watched many Ram games live at the Coliseum. Roman Gabriel was a little before my time but my dad and his buddies always spoke highly of Roman when I was a kid. Love seeing these classic films. Thankyou.
Wow, I didn't realized he passed away. I remember a Monday night game against the Purple Prople Eaters, the Minnesota Vikings, trying to get in the end zone. Those were some tuff old dudes. RIP Roman, you were and still are a great football qb. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to meet you
Growing up in Los Angeles and Riverside counties (1961-1970), Roman Gabriel was one of the names that you heard a lot, and you never forgot it... Rest in Peace
My Dad saw him play high school football in Wilmington, NC. He said he really "tilted" the field. Roman was an icon of 1960's NFL football and I remember his battles against the "Purple People Eaters." He was Filopino and he was HUGE...
I was a little kid and we had a 13" black and white TV in me and my brothers room and I remember seeing the Rams and the Vikings and for some reason I liked the horn logo on the helmet. Anyway Roman Gabriel was the QB for that game and although I'm no longer in southern California, I still like the Rams best. Thank you for the upload!
Another NFL great from my best years of watching NFL Football, has passed away. Although not a Ram fan, I still enjoyed watching Roman drop back to pass, or scramble if all receivers were covered. Roman was an NFL great, that I hope is in the NFL Hall of Fame. I.remember many Sunday afternoons watching the Rams play, before the disastrous rule changes that would follow in the late 70's and 80's. Under todays NFL rules, there is no telling what a quarterback like Roman Gabriel would have accomplished. Thank you Roman for those years of great football viewing. Even when you were traded to the Eagles, you were still a very competitive and productive quarterback. May you Rest-In-Peace!
I'll never forget opening the newspaper sports section to see a photo of Tony Guillory blocking Donny Anderson's punt to help the Rams beat the invincible Packers. It was a memorable feat.
Wish I'd have been able to see Roman Gabriel play on TV before he retired. I was just a kid back then and didn't start watching football regularly until 1978. RIP to one of the greatest.
Grew up an Eagles fan in the Delaware Valley. The 1st QB name I can recall for The Birds was Roman Gabriel. Same for WR in the form of Harold Carmichael. Thank you for the memories, Mr. Gabriel !! 🚬😎👍
What an excellent compilation and tribute. Man what a tough, versatile player. As a South Jersey kid who became an Eagles fan in the early 80s it was awesome seeing Gabriel playing alongside the rookie versions of my childhood heroes. RIP Roman Gabriel. They don’t make em like that anymore.
Watched him play as a child. I live in Myrtle Beach and Roman lived in Little River which is only a twenty minute drive. Was hoping to meet him one day. RIP Roman.
Thank you for posting, I didn't realize he passed away today. He was the Rams starting QB when they played the Saints in New Orleans' first-ever regular season game as well as their first-ever pre-season game
My dad took me to the first football game I ever went to , Eagles vs Raiders November 21, 1976 at Veterans Stadium. Roman Gabriel was quarterback for the Eagles. The Raiders running game was too much for the Eagles and they lost 26-7. I remember I thought who is Roman Gabriel. I didn’t know I was watching an old legend. He gave the Eagles hope when there was none and was the initial spark into the Eagles believing they could become winners.
I grew up in LA and came of age in my football career during the Roman Gabriel years, He's the first quarterback I ever knew. Sad to see him go but what a career and legacy.
Being the age I am I saw the great players and heard all the great bands live. Although paying for it now I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world
My first football jersey when I was a kid was #18 Roman Gabriel of the Rams..I was in the fifth grade out in the SoCal beach area burbs of Los Angeles CA. Rawlings made and solid.X-Mas present bought at Big 5. Loved that jersey. Bummer when I grew out of it.Blue on White and it was cool.So was Gabriel.(I am close to being 62 so that's how far back that memory went)
In 1969 Dad took me to my first Ram Niners game at the Coliseum. Roman had an off day fumbling 4 times and recovered all 4 of them! Our Rams still won that day. The Fearsome Foursome were something to watch! With Jones and Olsen getting in the Niners backfield and stopping plays! That Christmas I got my Blue and White Ram helmet. Roman had a strong arm and was hard on opposing defenses. I can't believe he's gone now .RIP Roman Gabriel we loved you and still do... Eric Underwood Class of 81 Downey High school California USA ♥️🇺🇲🙏🗽
Still remember the great Rams team of 1969 that started 11-0 but couldn't get past their nemesis the Minnesota Vikings both in the regular season and the Western Conference championship.
Tough player. Played with "The Deacon", Merlin, Rosie, and was in movie with John Wayne "The Undefeated". Had his football card in 5th grade. Took some bad hits and lived long time. Resilient.
A fitting visual memorial to a unique player who made his era one of the most memorable and entertaining in the history of his sport. Thanks yet again, Dave, for your incomparable video tributes to the stars of the past.
Thanks for posting! Roman was a great QB, and I remember him best when he played for the Rams in the 60's. Maybe also because after pee wee football, I played for the Rams on a VFW sponsored league before HS. We had the exact black helmets with the white horns. They even looked impressive on the B&W TVs of the day!
