Former NC State quarterback and NFL MVP winner Roman Gabriel died at the age of 83 Saturday, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).
Gabriel's son, Roman III, said that his father had "passed away peacefully" of natural causes Saturday morning in a social media post.
In three seasons at NC State from 1959 to 1961, Gabriel threw for 2,951 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was the ACC's Player of the Year in 1960 and 1961 and was the conference's first quarterback to throw for 1,000 yards in a season.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
He was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 1962 AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders and was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, selected by the Los Angeles Rams, who he ultimately signed with.
He spent 11 seasons with the Rams, winning the MVP in 1969 after throwing for 2,549 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowler in three consecutive seasons and earned another Pro Bowl bid in 1973. He was Los Angeles' all-time career passer by the end of his stint with the Rams.
After the 1972 season, Gabriel was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent the final five years of his career before retiring in 1977 at the age of 37. He finished his career with 29,444 passing yards and 201 touchdowns.
After his playing career, he had a brief stint as a member of the NFL on CBS broadcast team for two years. He also had an acting career, appearing in the 1968 film "Skidoo" and the 1969 film "The Undefeated" along with several other films.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation