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SF Chronicle, Oakland Raiders website

John Madden Has Called Him ‘the perfect quarterback and the perfect Raider.” The Great Kenny Stabler Dead at 69

Jul 9, 2015  •  Post A Comment

“The most storied plays and games in Raiders history all had a common starting point: a slithering quarterback who liked to strike late in close games. Ken ‘The Snake’ Stabler, who led the Raiders to a Super Bowl title in 1977, died Wednesday, members of his family said Thursday. Mr. Stabler, who was 69, had been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in February.”

So reports Vic Tafur in the San Francisco Chronicle. He added, “Teammates and fans were devastated by the news.”

Legendary Raiders coach John Madden, on the Raiders website, wrote, “I’ve often said, if I had one drive to win a game to this day, and I had a quarterback to pick, I would pick Kenny. Snake was a lot cooler than I was. He was a perfect quarterback and a perfect Raider. When you think about the Raiders you think about Ken Stabler. Kenny loved life. It is a sad day for all Raiders.”

Stabler was named AFC player of the year in 1974 and 1976, and he led the NFL in passing in 1976.

To read the Stabler family’s statement on his passing, and to see a reel of Stabler highlights, please click here.

KenStablerKen Stabler

 

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. He was one of the BEST, and fun to watch. Also his book Snake is one of the best football books I have ever read. One of the funniest too. RIP Kenny #12. You will be missed.

  2. It is a crime that he has not been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He was one of the top quarterbacks of all time. He led Alabama to an undefeated season in 1966 and was robbed of a National title by all the hype around the Michigan State vs Notre Dame 10-10 tie. The next year he had the legendary Run in the Mud for 53 yards in the Iron Bowl. With Oakland he changed his game completely to a passing QB because of knee injuries and became one of the top QBs of the 1970’s. In 1976 he led the NFL in passing and won the Super Bowl and was AFC player of the year. A real crime that he was never given what he was due during his lifetime. Hopefully, this year the wrong will be corrected.

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