Gabriel Rivera, nicknamed "Senor Sack", was an American professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League.
11 Facts About Gabriel Rivera
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Gabriel Rivera was a first-round pick in the 1983 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Gabriel Rivera attended Texas Tech University, and played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1979 to 1982.
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Gabriel Rivera finished his four-year career at Texas Tech with 321 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 11 pass deflections, and 6 fumble recoveries.
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In 1980, Gabriel Rivera earned honorable-mention All-American honors as a sophomore.
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Additionally, Gabriel Rivera was named the Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and would later be named to the Southwest Conference All-Decade team.
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Gabriel Rivera appeared in the 1982 Bob Hope Christmas Show and was introduced as an All American Defensive Lineman.
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Gabriel Rivera's selection was notable because the Steelers decided to pass on hometown hero and University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino as heir apparent to Terry Bradshaw.
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Gabriel Rivera was considered to be one of the fastest defensive linemen coming out of college.
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Gabriel Rivera had three wives, Kimberly, whom he met at Texas Tech; Carmen, whom he met during physical therapy; and Nancy, whom he met at the zoo.
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Gabriel Rivera died on July 16,2018, from complications related to a perforated bowel.