Roman Gabriel

Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. (August 5, 1940 – April 20, 2024) was an American professional football quarterback in the National Football League. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Edna Mae Wyatt, an Irish-American woman, and Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Sr., a Filipino immigrant who worked as a railroad waiter and cook, Gabriel grew up poor and suffered from asthma. He played high school football at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, graduating in 1958, before starring at quarterback for North Carolina State University in Raleigh. With the NC State Wolfpack he earned first-team All-American honors twice and was named ACC Player of the Year in 1960 and 1961.

Gabriel was selected second overall in the 1962 NFL draft. He played 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, followed by five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1969 he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. He was the first Filipino-American quarterback in the NFL, and remains the first and only Asian American to win the league's MVP award.