 Stabler in 2007 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1945-12-25)December 25, 1945 Foley, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | July 8, 2015(2015-07-08) (aged 69) Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Foley | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Alabama (1964–1967) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1968: 2nd round, 52nd pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Kenneth Michael Stabler (December 25, 1945 – July 8, 2015) was an American professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with theOakland Raiders. Nicknamed "Snake", he playedcollege football atAlabama and was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the1968 NFL/AFL draft. During his 10 seasons in Oakland, Stabler received fourPro Bowl selections and was namedMost Valuable Player in 1974. Stabler also helped the Raiders win their firstSuper Bowl title inSuper Bowl XI. He was posthumously inducted to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.[1]
Stabler became a highly touted football player atFoley High School inFoley, Alabama. He led Foley to a win–loss record of 29–1 over hishigh school football career—the only loss coming againstVigor High School. He was an all-around athlete in high school, averaging 29 points a game in basketball and excelling enough as a left-handed pitcher in baseball to receive minor-league contract offers from theHouston Astros andNew York Yankees. He was an all-American athlete. During his high school career, he earned his nickname "Snake"[2] from his coach following a long, winding touchdown run.
Stabler was recruited by head coachBear Bryant at theUniversity of Alabama inTuscaloosa. Due toNCAA regulations at the time, freshmen were ineligible to play on the varsity in the University Division. Stabler was on the freshman team in1964, when theCrimson Tide won theNational Championship with quarterbacksJoe Namath andSteve Sloan. Despite being named National Champions, Alabama lost their bowl game, falling to the Texas Longhorns in the 1965 Orange Bowl.
As a sophomore in1965, Stabler was used sparingly as a back-up to Sloan at quarterback,[3] following Namath's departure to theAFL. That year, the Crimson Tide won their second consecutive National Championship, finishing the season with a record of 9–1–1. The team defeated theNebraska Cornhuskers in theOrange Bowl, 39–28.
As a junior in1966, he took over the starting quarterback position. He led the team to an undefeated, 11–0 season which ended in a 34–7 rout ofNebraska in theSugar Bowl. Despite the unblemished record, Alabama was snubbed by the polls, finishing third behindNotre Dame andMichigan State, neither of which played in a bowl.
Expectations were high in Stabler's senior season, though those expectations would not be completely fulfilled. The offense often struggled in1967, and the defense's performance slipped. During the season, Bryant kicked Stabler off the team for cutting class and partying, though he was given a second chance.[4] The Tide finished with an 8–2–1 record, including a loss to rivalTennessee. Though the season was lackluster, Stabler would provide a memorable moment in theIron Bowl. Trailing 3–0 in a game drenched by rain, Stabler scampered through the mud for a 47-yard, game-winning touchdown which gave the Tide a 7–3 victory over rivalAuburn atLegion Field. The play is commonly referred to as the "Run in the Mud" in Alabama football lore.[5]
| NCAA collegiate career statistics | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Crimson Tide | |||||||||||||
| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 1965 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 27.3 | 0 | 0 | 47.1 | 61 | 328 | 5.4 | 1 | ||
| 1966 | 74 | 114 | 956 | 64.9 | 9 | 5 | 152.6 | 93 | 397 | 4.3 | 3 | ||
| 1967 | 103 | 178 | 1,214 | 57.9 | 9 | 13 | 117.2 | 111 | 113 | 1.0 | 5 | ||
| Career | 180 | 303 | 2,196 | 59.4 | 18 | 18 | 128.0 | 265 | 838 | 3.2 | 9 | ||
Stabler was selected in the second round of the1968 NFL/AFL draft by theOakland Raiders, the reigning AFL champions. He was the fifth quarterback taken, afterGreg Landry,Eldridge Dickey,Heisman Trophy winnerGary Beban, andMike Livingston.[6] He was also drafted to play baseball by theNew York Yankees in 1966, theNew York Mets in 1967, and theHouston Astros in 1968.[7]
Stabler signed a two-year contract with the Raiders in March 1968.[8] In November, the Raiders sent Stabler toSpokane, Washington, to play for theSpokane Shockers of theContinental Football League.[9][10][11] He played in two games for the Shockers before being recalled by the Raiders in late November.[12][13][14] In July 1969, Stabler left the Raiders.[15] However, in November 1969, Stabler said "I'll be back in pro football come June."[16][17] In January1970, it was reported that Stabler and Raiders head coachJohn Madden agreed that Stabler would return to the Raiders for training camp in July.[18] Stabler made his first regular season appearance as a Raider in 1970. He first attracted attention in the NFL in a1972playoff game against thePittsburgh Steelers. After entering the game in relief of a flu-riddenDaryle Lamonica, he scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard scramble. The Steelers, however, came back to win on a controversial, deflected pass fromTerry Bradshaw toFranco Harris, later known in football lore as theImmaculate Reception.[19]
After having severe knee injuries, Stabler became less a scrambling quarterback and more a classic, drop-back passer, known for accurate passes and an uncanny ability to lead late, come-from-behind drives. During the peak of his career, he had a receiving corps consisting of sprinterCliff Branch, sure handed receiverFred Biletnikoff, and tight endDave Casper. All three of Stabler's receivers would ultimately end up in the Hall of Fame. The Raiders' philosophy was to pound teams with their running game (aided by multiple-time Pro BowlerMarv Hubbard at fullback, andClarence Davis at tailback), then stretch them with their long passing game. Although Stabler lacked remarkable arm strength, he was a master of the long pass to Branch, and accurate on intermediate routes to Biletnikoff and Casper. As a starter in Oakland, Stabler was named AFC player of the year in1974 and1976, and was the NFL's passing champion in1976. In January 1977, he guided the Raiders to their firstSuper Bowl victory, a decisive 32–14 win over theMinnesota Vikings at theRose Bowl.[20][21]
Stabler was awarded theHickok Belt for 1976, as the year's top professional sports athlete.
In the1977 AFC playoffs against theBaltimore Colts on Christmas Eve, Stabler completed a legendary fourth quarter pass to Casper to set up a game-tying field goal byErrol Mann. This play, dubbed the "Ghost to the Post," sent the game to double overtime, which the visiting Raiders won 37–31, after Stabler threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Casper.[22][23][24] In the second game of1978 on September 10, theHoly Roller (Immaculate Deception) Game saw Oakland win 21–20 atSan Diego after a fourth quarter forward fumble by Stabler was caught and forward-fumbled by two other players to score a touchdown and win the game.[25][26][27] This caused theKen Stabler Rule to be enacted in1979, permitting only the fumbling player to recover the ball during a fourth down play, or during any down played after the two-minute warning in a half or overtime.
After subpar 1978 and1979 seasons in which the Raiders failed to make theplayoffs and saw the departure of many team leaders from the Super Bowl run –Clarence Davis,Skip Thomas,George Atkinson,Fred Biletnikoff,Willie Brown, and head coachJohn Madden – Stabler was traded in March1980 to theOilers forDan Pastorini.[28] He left as the Raiders' all-time leader in completions (1,486), passing yards (19,078), and touchdown passes (150). The Oilers saw Stabler as the missing ingredient that could finally get them past the rivalSteelers and into the Super Bowl. Houston lacked the exceptional talent on offense that Stabler had thrived with in Oakland, asEarl Campbell and Casper—who was also acquired in a trade from the Raiders—were the few potent weapons they had. Meanwhile, Pastorini lost the starting job in Oakland toJim Plunkett after an injury, and Plunkett then led the Raiders to a win inSuper Bowl XV, which included aplayoff win over the Oilers in the wild card game. Houston head coachBum Phillips was fired shortly after the season, succeeded by defensive coordinatorEd Biles.
Without the popular head coach that rejuvenated an otherwise woeful Houston franchise, Stabler did not report to training camp in1981 and announced his retirement through his agent on July 23.[29][30] After five weeks and an injury to projected starterGifford Nielsen, he returned to the Oilers in late August and signed a two-year contract.[31][32] He had a mediocre season, as Houston went 7–9 and missed theplayoffs.
Released by the Oilers after the season, Stabler re-joined Phillips inNew Orleans in late August.[33] (Dave Wilson had a season-ending knee injury on August 12.)[34] In mid-September, the Saints traded longtime starterArchie Manning for offensive tackleLeon Gray.[35] By this time, however, the 37-year-old Stabler was past his prime and the Saints were still a fairly dismal franchise. Thefirst year was interrupted by atwo-month players' strike; New Orleans was 4–5 and narrowly missed theexpanded playoffs. The1983 season was his best as a Saint. He started 14 games, and while the team's record in those games was only 7–7, Stabler was the starter for the final game of the season, in New Orleans, against the division rivalLos Angeles Rams. Had the Saints won that game, they would have finished 9–7 and reached their first trip to the playoffs. But the Rams pulled out the victory late in the 4th quarter, 26–24. The Saints then acquiredNew York Jets veteranRichard Todd, who like Stabler played for Bryant at Alabama, before the1984 season and Stabler retired in the middle of that season, in late October.[36][37]
Stabler was the fastest to win 100 games as a starting quarterback, having done so in 150 games, which betteredJohnny Unitas' previous mark of 153 games. Since then, onlyTerry Bradshaw in 147 games,Joe Montana in 139 games, andTom Brady in 131 games have reached 100 wins more quickly.[38] Stabler was also the first NFL quarterback to retire with at least 200 passing yards per game in the playoffs (minimum 10 playoff appearances).
In the early part of 1974, Stabler and several NFL stars agreed to join the newly createdWorld Football League. He signed a contract to play for theBirmingham Americans. "I'm as happy as can be. Getting with a super organization and the financial benefits were key factors, but the biggest thing to me is getting back home. Getting to play before the people inthe South is where it's at for me. In two years I'll be in Birmingham if I have to hitchhike," he said. "If I can do for the WFL whatJoe Namath did for theAFL, I will feel that I have really accomplished something. I was born in the South and raised in the South and played football in the South. Oakland could have offered me as much money as Birmingham but they couldn't have let me play in the South." The WFL folded midway through the1975 season, and Stabler remained in the NFL without ever playing in the WFL.
Stabler was named the twenty-seventh greatest quarterback of the post-merger era by Football Nation.[39]
TheProfessional Football Researchers Association named Stabler to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2014.[40]
At the 2016 NFL Honors, it was announced that Stabler had been selected for thePro Football Hall of Fame, and he was officially inducted on August 6, 2016.[41]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| APNFL MVP &OPOTY | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| NFL career statistics | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1970 | OAK | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 7 | 42.8 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 18.5 | 1 | −4 | −4.0 | 0 |
| 1971 | OAK | 14 | 1 | 1–0 | 24 | 48 | 50.0 | 268 | 1 | 4 | 39.2 | 4 | 29 | 7.3 | 2 |
| 1972 | OAK | 14 | 1 | 0–1 | 44 | 74 | 59.5 | 524 | 4 | 3 | 82.3 | 6 | 27 | 4.5 | 0 |
| 1973 | OAK | 14 | 11 | 8–2–1 | 163 | 260 | 62.7 | 1,997 | 14 | 10 | 88.3 | 21 | 101 | 4.8 | 0 |
| 1974 | OAK | 14 | 13 | 11–2 | 178 | 310 | 57.4 | 2,469 | 26 | 12 | 94.9 | 12 | −2 | −0.2 | 1 |
| 1975 | OAK | 14 | 13 | 10–3 | 171 | 293 | 58.4 | 2,296 | 16 | 24 | 67.3 | 6 | −5 | −0.8 | 0 |
| 1976 | OAK | 12 | 12 | 11–1 | 194 | 291 | 66.7 | 2,737 | 27 | 17 | 103.4 | 7 | −2 | −0.3 | 1 |
| 1977 | OAK | 13 | 13 | 10–3 | 169 | 294 | 57.5 | 2,176 | 20 | 20 | 75.2 | 3 | −3 | −1.0 | 0 |
| 1978 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 237 | 406 | 58.4 | 2,944 | 16 | 30 | 63.4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1979 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 304 | 498 | 61.1 | 3,615 | 26 | 22 | 82.2 | 16 | −4 | −0.3 | 0 |
| 1980 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 11–5 | 293 | 457 | 64.1 | 3,202 | 13 | 28 | 68.7 | 15 | −22 | −1.5 | 0 |
| 1981 | HOU | 13 | 12 | 5–7 | 165 | 285 | 57.9 | 1,988 | 14 | 18 | 69.5 | 10 | −3 | −0.3 | 0 |
| 1982 | NO | 8 | 8 | 4–4 | 117 | 189 | 61.9 | 1,343 | 6 | 10 | 71.8 | 3 | −4 | −1.3 | 0 |
| 1983 | NO | 14 | 14 | 7–7 | 176 | 311 | 56.6 | 1,988 | 9 | 18 | 61.4 | 9 | −14 | −1.6 | 0 |
| 1984 | NO | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 70 | 47.1 | 339 | 2 | 5 | 41.3 | 1 | −1 | −1.0 | 0 |
| Career | 184 | 146 | 96–49–1 | 2,270 | 3,793 | 59.8 | 27,938 | 194 | 222 | 75.3 | 118 | 93 | 0.8 | 4 | |
Following his retirement as a player, Stabler worked as acolor commentator, first onCBS NFL telecasts, and then on radio withEli Gold for Alabama football games. Stabler left beforeAlabama's 2008 season and was replaced by Phil Savage.[43]
Stabler served as chairman of the XOXO Stabler Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission "to raise funds, build awareness and hope for a variety of charitable causes." Stabler's celebrity golf tournaments inPoint Clear, Alabama have raised nearly $600,000 for charitable partner The Ronald McDonald House of Mobile, which serves families of seriously ill and injured children receiving medical treatment at local hospitals.[44]
Stabler was married three times: to Isabel Clarke from 1968 to 1973, to Debbie Fitzsimmons from 1975 to 1978, and to Rose Molly Burch from 1984 to 2009.
Stabler had three daughters, Kendra Stabler Moyes, Alexa Stabler-Adams and Marissa Leigh Stabler.[48] In 2017, Alexa Stabler-Adams was certified by the NFLPA as a sports agent.[49]
Renowned for being cool and cerebral on the field, Stabler was equally legendary for his off-field exploits;[citation needed] he wrote in his 1986 autobiographySnake, "The monotony of [training] camp was so oppressive that without the diversions of whiskey and women, those of us who were wired for activity and no more than six hours sleep a night might have gone berserk."[50] Stabler told stories of drunk Raiders teammates pointing guns at him, and bailing out a teammate from jail who was wearing nothing but blue cowboy boots and hisSuper Bowl ring. "We were the only pro team who traveled with its ownbail bondsman," he said.[51]
Stabler died of colon cancer on July 8, 2015, at the age of 69. He had been diagnosed with the disease in February 2015. After some initial confusion whenThe Tuscaloosa Newsleaked a draft obituary for Stabler before word of his death could be confirmed, his family confirmed his death in a statement issued on July 9.[52][53]
In February 2016,The New York Times reported that researchers atBoston University discovered high Stage 3chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Stabler's brain after his death.[54] He is one of at least 345NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[55][56] He was buried at Pine Rest Cemetery in Foley, Alabama.
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