North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: NC State Pushes Gabriel for Pro Football HOF
3/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH – NC State chancellor James L. Oblinger and athletics director Lee Fowler have sent a letter to the veterans committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, urging the committee to give stronger consideration to former Wolfpack football hero Roman Gabriel, who passed for nearly 30,000 yards in his 16-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.
Gabriel, whose retired No. 18 jersey hangs in Carter-Finley Stadium, was named the ACC Football Player of the Year in 1960 and ’61, was the 1961 McKelvin Award winner as the ACC’s top athlete and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1969 as the starting quarterback for the Rams. The four-time Pro Bowl selection has been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1971) and the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame (1989).He retired from the NFL in 1977, after five years with the Eagles, and has been greatly involved in raising money for charity through celebrity golf tournaments. He was also involved in several sports-related ventures, including the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.
Gabriel, 66, lives in Little River, S.C., but has been more visible in recent years at NC State football games. He suffered a near-fatal stroke in suffered a near fatal stroke in September, 2002 and has been rehabilitating ever since to regain full movement on his left side.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
Here is the text of the letter of the letter sent by Chancellor Oblinger and Fowler:
Feb. 20, 2007
Pro Football Hall of Fame
c/o Board of Selectors
Senior Committee
2121 George Halas Dr., NW
Canton, Ohio 44708
To the Pro Football Hall of Fame Nominating Committee:
When he arrived at NC State in the fall of 1958, Roman Gabriel planned to participate in three different varsity sports: football, basketball and baseball. The high school All-America athlete from Wilmington, N.C., dreamed in particular of playing for NC State’s Hall of Fame basketball coach, Everett Case. He gave that dream up, however, after just one season of playing freshman basketball, because he felt his grades were slipping below the standards that had been set by his parents.
During his college career, Gabriel ran on three parallel tracks: as a record-breaking quarterback and two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year under accomplished football coach Earle Edwards; as a role player on Vic Sorrells’ baseball team, where he was a solid contributor, if not a star; and as an Academic All-America selection in 1961, while majoring in Recreation, Parks and Administration.
Roman’s exploits on the field are legendary here in Raleigh, where fans used to yell “Throw, Gabriel, throw!” He was an oversized quarterback in an undersized stadium. His abilities help set the stage for NC State to win four ACC Championships in the 1960s and to secure funding for a new football stadium, which opened shortly after his playing career here was over. In 1962, because of his many accomplishments, we made the decision to retire his No. 18 jersey number.
After being taken as the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, Roman spent nearly three years on the bench with the Los Angeles Rams. He patiently waited for his chance, and once he got it under Hall of Fame coach George Allen, he became an NFL superstar. His accomplishments and accolades are too numerous to mention here, but he was the 1969 NFL Player of the Year and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He was a star both on the field and a celebrity in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, the two cities where he played during his 16-year professional career.
Roman could have used his status for many things upon retirement in 1977, but the main focus of his life after football has been raising money through charitable golf tournaments. By his own reckoning, Roman has raised nearly $7 million dollars for various charities over the last three decades. None of those mean more to him than the first tournament he ever ran, to benefit the widow of a high school teammate who died of multiple sclerosis. For more than a quarter century, Roman and his teammates from New Hanover High School have gathered to raise money for their teammate’s family. He has also established a scholarship at Coastal Carolina University in the name of another friend who died prematurely.
Three years ago, Roman suffered a stroke that nearly killed him. But a lifelong devotion to working out helped him recover from what could have been a catastrophic event. While he has slowed down some following in recent years, Roman continues to raise money for what he believes are worthy causes.
For all these reasons, we at North Carolina State University are whole-heartedly in favor of nominating Roman Gabriel, one of our school’s greatest athletes and ambassadors, for the Professional Football Hall of Fame. He was a talented and accomplished quarterback on the field, and he has been an outstanding representative of the sport since he retire. We believe he merits your consideration.
With regards,
James Oblinger Lee Fowler
Chancellor Director of Athletics
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University
