Roman Gabriel, who played quarterback for sixteen years in the NFL, passed away yesterday. He was 83. Gabriel played eleven seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and five for the Philadelphia Eagles. He made the Pro Bowl four times, and he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1969.
Before his professional career, Gabriel starred at North Carolina State. In his senior year, 1961, he finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. (See the Gallery’s Football Cards of Heisman Candidates page.) He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Today’s card of the day is Gabriel’s 1961 Nu-Card card. This is a pre-rookie college card; his rookie card (which, strangely, pictures Y.A. Tittle in the inset photo) is a 1962 Topps. You can see all of Gabriel’s cards, plus a few oddball items, in the Gallery.
