Kenny Stabler
Kenny "The Snake" Stabler (born December 25, 1945) is a former football player who played quarterback at the University of Alabama and in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders (1970-1979); and for the Houston Oilers (1980-1981) and New Orleans Saints (1982-1984).
Nickname, high school and college career
Born on December 25, 1945 in Foley, Alabama, Stabler became a highly touted football player in high school, earning the nickname "The Snake" from his coach after a long, winding touchdown run.
He was recruited by Alabama's Bear Bryant and joined the team in 1964. In 1965 he led Alabama to a national championship. He finished his career with the Crimson Tide in 1967, having compiled a 28-3-2 record as a starter.
NFL career
He was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 1968. Stabler first made his mark in the NFL in a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After entering the game in relief of Daryle Lamonica, he scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 31-yard scramble. The Steelers, however, came back to win on a controversial, deflected pass from Terry Bradshaw to Franco Harris, known in football lore as The Immaculate Reception.
After suffering severe knee injuries, Stabler became less a scrambling quarterback and more a classic, drop-back passer, known for deadly-accurate passes in the 10-to-20 yard range and an uncanny ability to lead late, come-from-behind drives. During the peak of his career he had an impressive receiving corps consisting of sprinter Cliff Branch, sure-handed possession receiver Fred Biletnikoff, and Hall-of-Fame tight end Dave Casper. As a starter in Oakland, Stabler was named AFC player of the year in 1974 and 1976, and was the NFL's passing champion in 1976. In 1977 he guided the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory, after a narrow playoff victory over the New England Patriots in which he scored the winning touchdown on a surprise quarterback keeper. In the 1977 AFC Playoffs against the Baltimore Colts he threw a crucial 4th quarter pass to Dave Casper that set up a game tying field goal that sent into overtime in which the Raiders eventually won; the 4th quarter pass was dubbed the Ghost to the Post.
In 1980 he was traded to the Houston Oilers for Dan Pastorini, whom Raiders' owner Al Davis regarded as a more effective deep passer. The Oilers in turn saw Stabler as the missing ingredient that could finally get them past the Steelers and into the Super Bowl. Pastorini lost the starting job in Oakland to Jim Plunkett after an injury, and Plunkett then led the Raiders over Stabler and the Oilers in the playoffs. Stabler played one more season with Houston and then finished his NFL career with a three-year stint with the New Orleans Saints.
He currently provides color commentary alongside Eli Gold for broadcasts of Alabama football, and hosts a sports talk show in Birmingham on WERC-AM.
References
- Ken Stabler. (2007, February 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:24, February 27, 2007.
External links
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