Stabler is not yet in the Hall of Fame, but talk about his worthiness will certainly pick up in the wake of his passing.
Advertisement
“He quietly battled Stage 4 colon cancer since being diagnosed in February 2015”. Stabler is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On the field, Stabler earned four Pro Bowl trips, the league Most Valuable Player award in 1974 and guided Oakland to its first Super Bowl victory in the 1976-77 season, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
Our thoughts must be with his family, with our thanks for all the wonderful memories that he gave all in the Raider Nation. He wore the silver and black with pride and poise and will continue to live in the hearts of Raider fans everywhere. And then Paul “Bear” Bryant recruits Stabler to join him at The University of Alabama. Stabler and the Raiders engaged the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 1972 playoff game at frozen Three Rivers Stadium, and when Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum batted a Terry Bradshaw pass backwards, running back Franco Harris picked it off on the run at his shoe tops, and kept running into the end zone with the Immaculate Reception. Those people included current Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. “I remember like it was yesterday when (Hallof Fame lineman) Gene Upshaw said of Kenny, ‘When he steps in the huddle and pulls his helmet down, you know who the man is, ‘ and Snake was the man”. He was a flawless quarterback and a flawless Raider. More information will be available on Ken Stabler’s Facebook fan page and the XOXO Stabler Foundation. “Kenny loved life. It is a sad day for all Raiders”, said Gold Jacket John Madden.
Ken Stabler, the longtime quarterback of the John Madden-led Oakland Raiders, passed away Wednesday in Gulfport, Mississippi at the age of 69.
Stat boys and armchair GMs argue that the Stabler-led Raiders “only” won one Super Bowl. “No one ever suspected how little he knew about the game plan on a particular week”.
But Madden said numbers don’t tell Stabler’s story. It went right through his hands. When you look at him, there are a lot of things that stick out to me. In addition to averaging 29 points per game on the basketball court, Stabler was a left-handed pitcher and received a minor-league contract offer from the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. “I looked at him, smiled, and went, ‘Red 24!'” Branch recalled Thursday night. “And we did”. Stabler’s number 12 will most likely be added to every Raider player’s helmet or Jersey in 2015, and it can be a symbol of the tenacity and never quit attitude each Oakland Raider should strive for. He led his Foley High School team to state championships in 1962 and 1963.
“I’m going to breakfast to get my steak and eggs at 8 o’clock the day of the game”, van Eeghen said. I asked him what time he got in.
“I think that (toughness) probably followed him through life”, Madden said.
When Stabler retired in 1984, he was the fastest QB to win 100 games as a starter. “When you hear “Kenny Stabler died” it’s like a kick in the gut”.
So… what were the games that emotionally connected me to sports, forever?
“I was a rookie hoping the Raiders don’t realize I don’t belong here”, Roeszler said Friday.
Stabler came into the “72 game against the Steelers only because Lamonica got hurt late in the second half”.
Stabler conceded he didn’t always take the best care of himself or have at top-flight work ethic. On the field, I worked hard and understood the system.
Advertisement
Stabler was a part of three famous plays in NFL history that forever changed the rules of football – “The Holy Roller”, “Ghost to the Post” and “Sea of Hands”. At the time, Stabler was excited to be involved again in Tide athletics and be back in Alabama.
