Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Roman Gabriel, first Asian American quarterback in the NFL

Roman Gabriel, born August 5, 1940 in Wilmington, North Carolina to a Filipino immigrant, played college football for the North Carolina State and earned two All-American honors in 1960 and 1961. He was second pick in the 1962 NFL draft and played for the Los Angeles Rams, becoming the first Filipino-American to play quarterback in the NFL. He played backup quarterback from 1962 to 1965, when he started winning games.  In 1966, Gabriel was moved to starting quarterback. 

In 1967, he was named AP Offensive Player of the Week for the last two weeks of the season, and a second-team All-Pro.  He was named MVP in 1969.

After the 1972 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and played with them until 1977.

He had a brief acting career, appearing twice on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and on an episode of Wonder Woman.

He passed away in April 2024.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Sam Bradford, first Native American to win the Heisman Trophy

Sam Bradford, born November 8 (Happy birthday, Sam!), 1987 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is the first Native American to win the Heisman Trophy.  He is a member of the Cherokee Nation and was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.  He set a record for most completions by a rookie in NFL history and won NFL Offense Rookie of the Year.  

He played football at Putnam City North High School and accepted a scholarship from University of Oklahoma.  He became only the second sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.  Bradford played for the Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Arizona Cardinals.