Roman Gabriel — Overlooked or Not by HOF Voters?

By John Turney  

In most cases, Hall-of-Fame candidates are judged on their peak years. And, in most cases, Hall-of-Fame voters look at what that candidate did vs. his peers and decide if he qualifies for Canton. When you look at quarterback Roman Gabriel's peak, it's clear he deserves to have voters hear his case. 

But it's never happened. Not when he was a modern-era candidate nor since he moved into the senior category. 

That must change.

When Gabriel was a starter from 1966-75 -- an 11-year peak, if you will --his performance and team success compare so favorably to other quarterbacks in that span that they demand the Hall's attention. 

And here's why:

-- He was third in touchdown passes, third in yards passing, second in completions and first in lowest interception percentage --essentially top-three in everything. That means he was one of the elite quarterbacks of his time.

-- More importantly, he was the starting quarterback in 74 wins. Only Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton had more. That's further evidence that Roman Gabriel could be counted on to win -- a critical criterion for Hall-of-Fame voters.

So, you may ask, "Outside his years as a full-time starter, what happened? How did he play?"

In his first four seasons in the NFL, the Rams were in disarray, and coaches couldn't decide on a quarterback. That meant Gabriel was only a part-time starter from 1962, when he was a first-round draft pick, through 1965, the year before George Allen arrived.

However, he was able to start 23 games during that time and was 11-11-1. On the surface, that doesn't sound like much, but it is when compared to the Rams' quarterbacks who started the other 32 games. In those games, Zeke Bratkowski, Ron Miller, Terry Baker and Bill Munson were a combined 4-27-2. 

So, while Gabriel won 50 percent of his starts, the others won 15.1 percent of theirs. That's a huge difference.

It wasn't just dumb luck, either, Gabe earned the wins. When he started, the Rams averaged 20.6 points and 303.8 yards a game. Under the other, not-so-fearsome foursome, those numbers dropped to 15.9 and 236.6. Furthermore, with Gabriel running the offense, L.A. turned the ball over an average of 2.3 times per game. With the others, it was 3.2 times.

There was even a Gabriel effect on the defense. With the Rams moving the ball and grinding out first downs under his direction, their defense was on the field less. As a result, it surrendered about one touchdown less per game when the former South Carolina All-American was in charge.

Nevertheless, Gabriel never won the trust of coaches Bob Waterfield or Harland Svare. He did, however, have George Allen's faith from jump street.

"Why aren't the Rams starting this guy?" he asked when he coached the Bears' defense.

When Allen took over the Rams in 1966, he immediately made Gabriel his starter, and the results speak for themselves: After five years together, the two walked away with 49 wins ... the most by any quarterback, AFL or NFL, during that time. Gabriel also went to three Pro Bowls and was the league's MVP in 1969 under Allen.

You could make a strong case that he should have been the MVP in 1967, too. Back then, votes were taken prior to the final game, and Unitas, the actual MVP, went into that weekend, 11-0-2, while Gabriel was 10-1-2. Unitas had thrown 19 touchdowns against 14 interceptions; Gabriel 22 and 13.

So what happened? Gabriel threw four touchdown passes, and the Rams whipped the Colts, 34-10, to win the NFL Western Conference.

Gabriel was the NFL Offensive Player of the Week, ending the regular-season with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Unitas had 20 TDs and 16 picks. Had votes been collected after that last regular-season game, the outcome may have been different.

But Gabriel did more than throw for touchdowns. He scored them, too. The Rams didn't have a terrific running game under Allen, so, when it mattered, they turned to their incredibly strong quarterback. Long before Tom Brady, Gabriel was his team's short-yardage runner, either on a sneak or rollout that had a run-or-pass option.

And both were effective. 

In the Gabriel-Allen years, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Gabriel ran for 19 touchdowns. Not only was it more than any Rams' running back; it tied for 11th among all runners in pro football, not just the NFL. Now, think of that:  Only 10 players ran for more touchdowns than a quarterback. Given the era, that's remarkable.

But it goes on.

From 1966-72, his 22 rushing touchdowns were more than any Rams' running back. And, spanning his entire career, his 30 career rushing scores were more than all quarterbacks, bar none.

Allen was fired after the 1970 season, and Gabriel had arm and knee problems in 1971 and 1972, even seeking an acupuncturist to ease the pain in his right arm. That so shook the Rams, they traded for John Hadl ... a move that led to an unhappy Gabriel asking out.

The Eagles won the bidding war.

In Philadelphia, he was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 1973 -- a season when he was named to his fourth Pro Bowl and led the league with 3,219 yards, 23 touchdown passes and lowest interception percentage. The Eagles were 5-8-1, but astonishingly close to 7-7 and dramatically improved from the team that won two games the previous year.

The losing record likely kept him from making All-Pro, but astute New York Post writer Paul Zimmerman picked Gabriel to that publication's squad. Zim got it. He knew what Gabriel accomplished.

When he retired, Gabriel ranked as the Rams' all-time leader in most career passing categories and still holds the team's career TD record (154) ... 46 years after playing his last game with the Rams. Also at the time of his retirement, he was in the Top Ten all-time in completions and passing yards. 

If you opened the "1983 NFL Record and Fact Book" under the category of "Lowest Pct., Passes Had Intercepted, Career (1,500 attempts)," you'd have seen Gabriel's name atop the list. What's more, recent research reveals that only Unitas, Tarkenton, Len Dawson and Bart Starr won more times during his career than Gabriel's 86.

All but Gabriel are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nevertheless, his resume says he deserves consideration for Canton, too. Twice, he led the league in scoring passes and three times he led it in lowest interception percentage. He started 89 consecutive games, which was an NFL record for quarterbacks then, and wasn't surpassed until 12 years later.

If there's a knock on Gabriel, it's that he not only didn't win a championship but failed to take the Rams or Eagles to a Super Bowl. But there are plenty of quarterbacks in the Hall without a ring. Jim Kelly didn't win it all. Neither did Dan Marino, Dan Fouts or Warren Moon. Nor Sonny Jurgensen and Fran Tarkenton. If it didn't matter with them, it shouldn't matter with Gabriel, who's the first Pacific Islander to start at quarterback in the NFL.

Gabriel is of Filipino descent.

No, Roman Gabriel wasn't the top quarterback of his era - - his peers included Unitas, Tarkenton, Jurgensen, and Namath -- but he was one of the best ... with one difference: He's never had his case discussed by Hall-of-Fame selectors. The individual who put L.A. back on the football map ... and who was durable and successful ... should at least have that opportunity.

Hopefully, that changes this week when the Hall releases its Class of 2024 senior semifinalists. Granted, it's a long shot, but it would at least start the process for one of the great, underrated quarterbacks of all time.