The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519757
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST BY TIM PEELER T he day Roman Gabriel told head coach Earle Edwards he would attend NC State might have been the greatest in Wolfpack football history, even though his announcement was secondary to the other events of that day. It was Nov. 23, 1957, and Edwards' Wolfpack was playing South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., with an outside chance to win its first ACC football champion- ship. Halfback Dick Christy turned in the greatest individual performance in conference history, scoring all 29 of the Pack's points in the 29-26 victory, includ- ing a field goal with no time left on the clock. Before the team loaded the bus for the celebratory ride home to Raleigh, Ga- briel sent word to Coach Edwards that he would play for NC State. Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. chose NC State over the other 71 college scholar- ship offers he had received because the coaching staff had no problem with him playing multiple sports. He wanted to play football, basketball and baseball for the Wolfpack, just as he had at New Ha- nover High in Wilmington, N.C., with much success. The tall, rangy quarterback — who died April 20, 2024, at the age of 83 at his home in South Carolina — was an all-state and All-America selection in football, an all- state pick in baseball, and the confer- ence and state tournament most valuable player in basketball. The New York Yankees came call- ing with a contract after his senior year. NC State basketball coach Everett Case wanted him to play basketball exclusively. Three Wolfpack coaches visited Gabriel and his parents for an in-home recruiting visit — football defensive coordinator Al Michaels, baseball coach Vic Sorrell and freshman basketball coach Lee Terrill. It was Gabriel's trip to campus that sealed the deal for the oversized quarter- back. He met Case at Reynolds Coliseum during the 1956 Dixie Classic and knew immediately he wanted to be part of the excitement. Roman Gabriel Was A Pivotal Figure In NC State's Football History Gabriel was a two-time first-team All-American at NC State, and he went on to throw for 29,444 yards during a long NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS