On Saturday, April 20, the 83-year-old former quarterback Roman Gabriel passed away, causing the Eagles to grieve.
Roman Gabriel III, Gabriel’s son, posted on X to notify his father’s quiet demise.
I regret to inform you that my father, Roman Gabriel @RGabriel4HOF, died away quietly at home this morning from natural causes. The whole family requested your prayers and kindly observance of our privacy 🙏🙏🙏. Dad, I adore you.
—Roman Gabriel III (@RomanGabriel3rd) April 20, 2024
The Los Angeles Rams chose Gabriel with the second overall choice in the 1962 NFL Draft, making him the first-ever Filipino-American quarterback in league history.
Gabriel played his first 11 seasons with the Rams before joining the Eagles for his last five years of play (1973–77). Gabriel was a three-time Pro Bowler, first-team All-Pro, and 1969 AP NFL MVP while he was in Los Angeles.
After suffering several injuries in his last few seasons with the Rams, Gabriel became available in trade negotiations, which is how the Eagles acquired him before to the 1973 campaign. The former MVP was acquired by the Eagles from the Rams in exchange for two first-round draft selections and standout receiver Harold Jackson.
33 years old at the time, Gabriel’s excellent career was revitalized by his transfer to Philadelphia. Gabriel was named PFWA Comeback Player of the Year, went on to throw for 47 touchdowns and 7,221 yards in 53 games with the Eagles, and earned a spot in his fourth Pro Bowl.
Standing at six feet five inches, Gabriel was the quarterback for the Fire High Gang, a trio of pass catchers who towered over opponents during his 1973 Comeback Player of the Year campaign. Gabriel set career highs in completion percentage (270) and throwing yards (3,219) with the assistance of wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael (6-8), tight end Charle Young (6-5), and wide receiver Don Zimmerman (6-4). Gabriel led the league in 24 throwing touchdowns in addition to topping the league in those categories.
Gabriel remarked, “That was a fun year,” in a 2019 interview with Philadelphiaeagles.com. I was essentially written off following my final season with the Rams. But I was really appreciative that the Eagles took a chance on me. They wanted me to be a part of this young team that was striving to develop something. I cherished Philadelphia. beautiful supporters and a beautiful city. It remains a wonderful memory.
In 1977, Gabriel’s 16th and last NFL season, he announced his retirement from the Eagles. Gabriel currently ranks eighth in Eagles history in terms of completion % (55.8), tenth in terms of passing attempts (1,185), and thirteenth in terms of passing yards (7,221).
He was admitted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Gabriel was the first quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season while attending North Carolina State. He was also inducted into the school’s inaugural sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Gabriel was quite active with local charity off the field.
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During Gabriel’s second season on the club in 1974, Kim, the daughter of tight end Fred Hill, was battling leukemia. At the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hills family was camped out among other parents as their children received medical attention. At this point, the Hills came to the realization that families who couldn’t afford motels and traveled great distances needed a place to stay.
The Eagles, in collaboration with CHOP and McDonald’s, launched a campaign whereby all sales revenues from Shamrock Shakes would be used to purchase an abandoned house close to the hospital for families in need. One of the faces of the charity campaign was Gabriel, and the home he assisted in raising money for, at 3925 Chestnut Street, became the nation’s first Ronald McDonald House.
Gabriel subsequently created the first Ronald McDonald House in his native North Carolina, after being inspired by the establishment of the first Ronald McDonald House ever.
