NC State Athletics mourns the passing of former Wolfpack quarterback Roman Gabriel.  The 83-year-old passed away Saturday morning, his son announced.

 

Gabriel, who was inducted into the inaugural class of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012, was the ACC Player of the Yer in 1960 and ’61, setting 22 school and nine ACC records during his career. He was the first ACC quarterback to throw for 1,000 yards in a season. 

 

A two-time All-American on the playing field, Gabriel was also an Academic All-American in 1961 before being selected as the No 1 pick in that year’s American Football League draft and the No. 2 pick of the National Football League. He would go on to play 16 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles and was the all-time leading passer in Rams franchise history. 

 

He began an acting career while still playing in the NFL, with starring roles in major motion pictures “Skidoo” and “The Undefeated” as well as appearing in several TV shows and commericials. He spend decades raising millions of dollars for various charities following his professional career. 

 

Gabriel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.