Ken Stabler obit

Ken Stabler dies at 69

He was not on the list.

Ken Stabler, among the greatest quarterbacks in Oakland Raiders history, has died of complications from colon cancer. He was 69.

Stabler, who had battled the disease since being diagnosed in February, died Wednesday, according to a statement by the family.

"He passed peacefully surrounded by the people he loved most, including his three daughters and longtime partner, as some of his favorite songs played in the background, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Van Morrison's 'Leaves Falling Down,' " the statement said.

Receiver Fred Biletnikoff, and quarterback Ken Stabler celebrate after the Oakland Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI in Pasadena on Jan. 9, 1977.

Although his family did not disclose where Stabler died, he was in his home state of Alabama, according to the Raiders.

Nicknamed "The Snake" for his elusiveness on the field, Stabler was involved in some of the greatest plays in Raiders history, ones so well known they merited their own monikers: "Ghost to the Post," "Sea of Hands" and the "Holy Roller."

 

Back in those days, we didn't know every little detail of player's lives. And that meant one (if one chose to) romanticize the NFL brand. Players like Stabler were Sunday's heroes, and it meant something indescribably wonderful to me. I was an LA Ram fan at heart, but the Raiders...

Stabler was born on Christmas Day, 1945, in Foley, Ala. A second-round pick from Alabama, he played for the Raiders from 1970 to 1979, the Houston Oilers from 1980 to 1981, and the New Orleans Saints from 1982 to 1984. He was AFC player of the year in 1974 and 1976, leading the NFL in passing in the latter season. He also led the Raiders to the first of their three Super Bowl victories.

"I've always said if I had to win a game, I'd want him as a quarterback," Hall of Fame coach John Madden told The Times, his voice cracking with emotion. "When this happens, you just think of all the great times, the wins, the Super Bowl. He was such a big part of that. More than that, he was always a happy guy, always full of life. He enjoyed life."

According to his family, Stabler requested that his brain and spinal cord be donated to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center to support research into degenerative brain disease in athletes.

"He was a kind, generous and unselfish man, never turning down an autograph request or an opportunity to help someone in need," his family said in the statement. "A great quarterback, he was an even greater father to his three girls and a grandfather to his two 'grand snakes.'"

Although Stabler is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he unquestionably left his mark on the game. At one point, he held the NFL record for reaching 100 victories the fastest, doing so in 150 starts and breaking Johnny Unitas' mark of 153. Since then, only Terry Bradshaw (147), Joe Montana (139) and Tom Brady (131) reached 100 wins in fewer starts.

In his 2010 book "Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders," Peter Richmond wrote of Stabler: "He'd come a long way from rural Alabama, and while physically he'd eventually return to his beloved Gulf Coast, psychologically he would forever be a Raider — the laid-back leader, the lifelong keeper of an unquantifiable statistic: he invariably knew how to find a way to win."

In the early part of 1974, Stabler and several NFL stars agreed to join the newly created World Football League. He signed a contract to play for the Birmingham 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 in the 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 what Joe Namath did for the AFL, 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 the 1975 season, and Stabler remained in the NFL without ever playing in the WFL.

Career history

 

    Spokane Shockers (1968)

    Oakland Raiders (1968–1979)

    Houston Oilers (1980–1981)

    New Orleans Saints (1982–1984)

Stabler is survived by his daughters, Kendra, Alexa and Marissa; his sister, Carolyn Bishop; and grandsons Jack and Justin.

 

Some of his other teammates, coaches and club owners included: Hugh Taylor, Joe Namath, Daryle Lamonica, Billy Cannon, Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Dave Grayson, Willie Brown, George Blanda, Al Davis, Raymond Chester, Marv Hubbard, Carl Weathers, F. Wayne Valley, Jack Tatum, Phil Villapiano, Ron Mix, Ben Davidson, Bob Brown, Cliff Branch, Dave Dalby, Tony Cline, Ray Guy, Pete Banaszak, Dave Casper, Ray Guy, Mark van Eeghen, Bubba Smith, Ted Hendricks, Skip Thomas “Dr. Death”, Clarence Davis, Rod Martin, Lester Hayes, John Matuszak, Pat Toomay, Errol Mann, Jim Plunkett, Tom Flores, Raymond Chester, Todd Christensen, Jim Breech, Bum Phillips, Bud Adams, Joe Bugel, Wade Phillips, Billy White Shoes Johnson, Mike Renfro, Rob Carpenter, Earl Campbell, Curly Culp, Robert Brazile, Elvin Bethea, Leon Gray, Ed Biles, Ladd Herzog, Ken Burrough, Steve Sloan, Brad Edelman, Morten Anderson, John Mecom, Jr., Archie Manning, Wayne Wilson, George Rogers, Hokie Gajan, Dave Waymer, Hoby Brenner, Rickey Jackson, Stan Brock and Dave Wilson.

 

He started his career off with the Spokane Shockers.of the Continental Football League.