[Elvis]

http://justblogbaby.com/2015/07/09/ex-w ... ssed-away/

Ex-Wife of Stabler Confirms He Has Passed Away
by Nick Hjeltness 16m ago

It’s been a crazy last hour or so…First, it was reported by the Tuscaloosa News that Raider Legend Ken Stabler passed away at the age of 69.

Raider Nation and NFL fans everywhere began to express their condolences and show their love for the Super Bowl winning QB.

Shortly after that, the report was retracted, with the Tuscaloosa News explaining that the article was posted in error while they were awaiting additional confirmation.

This caused confusion and anger, understandably, but it was a relief to hear that Stabler had not passed away. It was reportedly confirmed by the Raiders that Stabler had not passed away, although they provided no official statement.

Now, Stabler’s Ex-Wife, Rose, confirmed to a local news outlet that The Snake indeed has passed away.

[Elvis]

[Hacksaw]

Ol Kenny the "Snake" is gone. Heck he looked 69 when he was a player. Sorry to see him go so young.
They had some studs with Hayes, Banaszak, Casper, Branch, Ray Guy, Biletnikoff, Tatum, Henricks and so on. That's is when the raiders were cool.

RIP Snake

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/oakl ... -69-070915

[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/blog/oakland-raiders ... ll-of-fame

Flamboyant Ken Stabler belongs in Hall of Fame

Ken Stabler was 1970s football.

If Stabler were to be in the spotlight today, he'd be part Brett Favre, part Kid Rock. He was the poster boy of the renegade Oakland Raiders, then the NFL's bad boys.

Stabler, born on Christmas Day, 1945 in Foley, Alabama, died Thursday. He was 69.

"The Snake" was almost as famous for Saturday night as he was for Sunday afternoons. I've heard too many stories about Stabler getting yanked out of taverns after the sun came up on game day to not believe at least some of it was true.



But come kickoff, the swashbuckling Alabama product was all-in. The left-handed Stabler was the glue of a Raiders team that featured several Pro Football Hall of Famers and won Super Bowl XI in 1977 over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Raiders drafted Stabler out of Alabama in 1968. He was a perfect Al Davis player: brash, fun-loving and supremely gifted. He was also the perfect quarterback to lead the Raiders from their original AFL days to the new-school NFL. He settled in as the Raiders starting quarterback in 1973 after a rocky start to his professional career.

From 1973-79, Stabler was the starter of the most exciting team of the 1970s. While the Raiders won just one Super Bowl during that span, they won 74 regular-season games and seven postseason games during Stabler's tenure as a starter.

Stabler was famous for leading breathtaking comebacks and doing it in style. No Oakland fan will ever forget the "Sea of Hands" game-winning touchdown drive against Miami in the 1974 playoffs.

For my money, Stabler, whose family released a statement saying he died of prostate cancer, belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with the likes of his former Oakland teammates, including Willie Brown, Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper and coach John Madden.

If Stabler is going to be enshrined in Canton it will require one of his patented comebacks. Stabler, a finalist for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame three times, has been eligible for Seniors Committee consideration since 2009. Perhaps he will get enough support to earn enshrinement through that route.

Stabler, who finished his career with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints, doesn't have eye-popping career numbers. He completed 2,270 of his 3,793 passes for 27,938 yards. He threw 28 more interceptions (222) than touchdowns passes (194) in his career.

But Stabler was the face of one of the most unforgettable teams in NFL history. He has a Super Bowl ring. He did it with style and he was part of the fabric of the NFL's golden age. He was the Snake and should live in football immortality.

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/20 ... 34222101=2

Ex-Oilers QB Ken Stabler dies

Posted on July 9, 2015 | By John McClain



When Kenny “Snake” Stabler’s death at the age of 69 was confirmed by his family Thursday, it brought back a lot of memories of my first full season covering the Oilers in 1980.

Oilers coach Bum Phillips and Raiders owner Al Davis had engineered the biggest one-for-one trade in NFL history – Stabler for Dan Pastorini – and the exchange of star quarterbacks established the Oilers as a bona fide Super Bowl contender for a third consecutive season.

Stabler, a native of Foley, Ala., compiled a 28-3-2 record as a starter at Alabama, where he played for Bear Bryant before going on to belated NFL stardom in Oakland.

Stabler’s arrival in Houston coincided with the Urban Cowboy craze. With his country charm, long hair, salt-and-pepper beard, Ford Bronco, wide-brimmed cowboy hat and alligator boots, he blended perfectly in the atmosphere that had swept Houston.

Stabler, who died Wednesday at his Gulfport, Miss., home surrounded by family and friends, had been diagnosed with colon cancer in February, according to his family. Those who followed his career and knew him for so long couldn’t imagine the Snake was gone.

Stabler was a 10-year veteran when he came to Houston after a falling out with Davis. He had helped the Raiders win a Super Bowl in 1976, was the league MVP in 1974, and went to four Pro Bowls. But Davis soured on him, and Phillips offered the ideal out.

Stabler’s first season turned out to be the last year of Luv Ya Blue. Even though he played only two seasons for the Oilers, his hard-earned reputation as a dynamic come-from-behind quarterback and big-time partier was secure.

I’ll never forget the day Stabler didn’t show up for a practice during the season. After practice the next day, we approached Stabler at his locker. He always sat on his chair – naked and with one leg crossed over the other knee – smoking a cigarette. We asked where he’d been the day before.

“It was Veterans Day, and I’m a veteran, so I took the day off,” he said with a huge grin.

It was easy to forgive the mischievous Stabler, so well-liked and respected by just about everyone.

Like Pastorini, Stabler was mentally and physically tough. Also like Pastorini, he liked to defy authority when he could get away with it. That was part of their charm and charisma.

Quite a day at Shea

In November, the Oilers went to New York to play the Jets at Shea Stadium. Stabler partied into the wee hours, blowing curfew and infuriating his coaches.

Early Sunday morning, Stabler’s teammates saw him struggling to get out of a cab about the time they were preparing for the pregame meal.

Hung over from his night on the town, Stabler was awful in the first half, throwing four interceptions – one returned for a touchdown – and the Oilers trailed 21-0 at halftime.

In the dressing room at halftime, Phillips was addressing his players, and some could hear Stabler throwing up in a bathroom area.

Finally, Stabler emerged, sobered up and wiping his face with a towel. He told his teammates he was ready to go.

Stabler threw four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including one to Richard Caster to make it 28-28. The Oilers lost 31-28 in overtime, but there was another story for the Stabler legend.

I once asked Stabler why it took so long for him to play after being drafted in the second round in 1968. He told me he’d been on the taxi squad, played in the Continental League, and lived in a hippie commune for his first two years.

Stabler said he was ready to quit in 1970 when the Raiders had him on the bench again, but he got some great advice from George Blanda, who had left the Oilers for Oakland and was in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.

Stabler said Blanda told him those early years when he wasn’t playing would save the wear and tear on his body. That meant he’d have a longer career and would be making more money as he got older. Stabler listened to Blanda and didn’t become the regular starter until 1973.

Good season, bitter end

With Earl Campbell rushing for close to 2,000 yards in 1980, the Oilers finished 11-5 before losing at Oakland in a playoff game – the third consecutive season they were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion.

Phillips was fired after that defeat. Stabler played one more season under new coach Ed Biles, then finished his career at New Orleans, where Phillips was his coach.

Listening to Blanda early in his career paid off. During his last three seasons with the Saints, Stabler earned $300,000 a year, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.

[max]

Bear Bryant once said, "the best athlete he ever coached was Namath, but the best QB was Stabler"

[TomSlick]

Ol Kenny the "Snake" is gone. Heck he looked 69 when he was a player. Sorry to see him go so young.
They had some studs with Hayes, Banaszak, Casper, Branch, Ray Guy, Biletnikoff, Tatum, Henricks and so on. That's is when the raiders were cool.

RIP Snake

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/oakl ... -69-070915

The Raiders had that mystique thing in the 70s. I loved to hate them in those days. When Stabler fumbled the ball forward into the endzone (The Holy Roller Play) and Casper fell on it to beat San Diego, I just about threw a hammer through the TV.