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QB
(Alabama)...6'3'', 215...Kenneth Michael Stabler … Drafted in 2nd round of the 1968 draft by Raiders … Left-handed passer known for his exciting and flamboyant style … Compiled impressive .661 winning percentage … Totaled 27,938 yards and 194 touchdowns … First quarterback since AFL-NFL merger to lead team to five consecutive conference championships … All-Pro and NFL’s MVP, 1974 and 1976 … Voted to four Pro Bowls … Named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s … Born on December 25, 1945 in Foley, Alabama … Died July 8, 2015 at age of 69.
The Oakland Raiders, in the second round of the 1968 AFL-NFL Draft, selected quarterback Ken Stabler. A three-time All-America at Alabama, Stabler spent his first two seasons in the pros on the Raiders inactive/reserve squad, before joining the team in 1970 as a backup to Oakland’s All-Pro quarterback Daryle Lamonica. Although his playing time steadily increased each of the next three seasons, it wasn’t until 1973 and after the Raiders lost two of their first three games, that Stabler became a starter. That year he went on to lead the Raiders to the AFC Championship game, a 27-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
It was, however, the first of a string of five consecutive years that the Stabler-led Raiders advanced to the AFC title game, and the first of seven consecutive winning seasons with the “Snake” at the helm.
In 1976, Stabler led the league in passing, finishing the season with a remarkable 103.4 passer rating. At the same time, the Raiders earned the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XI. In the Super Bowl Stabler completed 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards as the Raiders easily defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
During his 10 seasons in Oakland, Stabler was named All-Pro twice, All-AFC three times, and selected to play in the Pro Bowl four times. He was named the AFC’s Player of the Year in 1974 and again in 1976. Following the 1979 season the Raiders traded Stabler to the Houston Oilers for quarterback Dan Pastorini. In his first season as the Oilers field general, Stabler passed for 3,202 yards. It was the second time in his career that he passed for more than 3,000 yards in a single season.
Stabler retired after the third game of the 1984 season after struggling through two injury-plagued seasons with the New Orleans Saints. When he retired his 59.85 career pass completion percentage was second only to Joe Montana, who at the time had played just six seasons.
Stabler’s 10 consecutive post season games with a touchdown pass was also an NFL record.
During his 15 NFL playing seasons, Stabler completed 2,270 passes for 27,938 yards and 194 touchdowns.
Passing
Rushing
G
Att
Comp
Yards
TD
Int
Rating
No.
Yds
Avg
Fum
1970
Oakland
3
7
2
52
0
1
18.5
-4
-4.0
1971
14
48
24
268
4
39.2
29
7.3
1972
74
44
524
82.3
6
27
4.5
1973
260
163
1997
10
88.3
21
101
4.8
5
1974
310
178
2469
26
12
94.9
-2
-0.2
1975
293
171
2296
16
67.4
-5
-0.8
1976
291
194
2737
17
103.4
-0.3
1977
13
294
169
2176
20
75.2
-3
-1.0
1978
406
237
2944
30
63.3
0.0
9
1979
498
304
3615
22
82.2
1980
Houston
457
3202
28
68.7
15
-22
-1.5
1981
285
165
1988
18
69.5
1982
New Orleans
8
189
117
1343
71.8
-1.3
1983
311
176
61.4
-14
-1.6
1984
70
33
339
41.3
-1
Career Total
184
3793
2270
27,938
222
75.3
118
93
0.8
66
Championship Games
1970 AFC – Baltimore Colts 27, Oakland Raiders 17
Stabler did not play.
1973 AFC – Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 129 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
1974 AFC – Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Oakland Raiders 13
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 271 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He also rushed one time for no yards.
1975 AFC – Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Oakland Raiders 10
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 18 of 42 passes for 246 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
1976 AFC – Oakland Raiders 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 7
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 88 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
1977 AFC – Denver Broncos 20, Oakland Raiders 17
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 17 of 35 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Super Bowls
Super Bowl XI – Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14
Stabler started at quarterback. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.
All-League Teams
All-Pro: 1974 (AP, PFWA, NEA, PW) · 1976 (PW)
All-Pro Second Team: 1976 (AP, PFWA, NEA)
All-AFC: 1973 (AP) · 1974 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) · 1976 (SN, PW)
All-AFC Second Team: 1976 (UP)
Pro Bowls
(4) – 1974, 1975, 1977*, 1978
* Did not play
In the NFL Record Book (at time of his retirement following 1984 season)
Post-Season Records
Team Records
Raiders’ records held by Stabler (Records through the 1979 season, Stabler’s final season with Oakland)
Oilers' records held by Stabler
(Records through the 1981 season, Stabler’s final season with Houston)
Saints' records held by Stabler (Records through the 1984 season, Stabler’s final season with New Orleans)
League/Team Statistical Titles
NFL Statistical Championships
Passing Leader: 1976
Passing Touchdowns Leader: 1974, 1976
AFC Statistical Championships
Passing Leader: 1973, 1976
Team Statistical Championships
Passing Leader: 1973Oak, 1974Oak, 1975Oak, 1976Oak, 1977Oak, 1978Oak, 1979Oak, 1980Hou, 1981Hou, 1982NO, 1983NO
Awards and Honors
Year-by-Year Team Records
1970 Oakland Raiders....................... 8-4-2 (1st)
1971 Oakland Raiders....................... 8-4-2 (2nd)
1972 Oakland Raiders..................... 10-3-1 (1st)
1973 Oakland Raiders....................... 9-4-1 (1st)
1974 Oakland Raiders..................... 12-2-0 (1st)
1975 Oakland Raiders..................... 11-3-0 (1st)
1976 Oakland Raiders..................... 13-1-0 (1st)
1977 Oakland Raiders..................... 11-3-0 (2nd)
1978 Oakland Raiders....................... 9-7-0 (2nd)
1979 Oakland Raiders....................... 9-7-0 (4th)
1980 Houston Oilers......................... 11-5-0 (2nd)
1981 Houston Oilers.......................... 7-9-0 (3rd)
1982 New Orleans Saints.................. 4-5-0 (9th*)
1983 New Orleans Saints.................. 8-8-0 (3rd)
1984 New Orleans Saints.................. 7-9-0 (3rd)
* NFC regular season finish in strike-shortened season. (Division Finish in Parentheses)
Full Name: Kenneth Michael Stabler
Birthdate: December 25, 1945
Birthplace: Foley, Alabama
Died: July 8, 2015 at Gulfport, Mississippi
High School: Foley (AL)
Pro Career: 15 seasons, 184 games
Drafted: 2nd round (52nd overall) in 1968 by Oakland Raiders
Ken Stabler Enshrinement Speech 2016
Presenter: John Madden
Voice:
Touchdown Raiders.
Narrator:
Throughout their colorful and illustrious history, the raiders have famously pursued a commitment to excellence and no player in franchise history has fulfilled that commitment quite like Ken the snake Stabler. The legendary lefty grew up in Foley, Alabama bypassing minor league baseball contract offers from the Yankees and Astros to play for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama.
Stabler scrambles, avoids tacklers and again throws to Perkins for another 45-yard scoring play.
He finished with an 18 to 1 record as a starter for the Tide providing a glimpse of what was to come.
Kenny the snake Stabler keeps the ball sweeps left then….
Stabler became a Raider in 1968, Al Davis’s Raiders were a unique franchise carrying themselves with a swagger and toughness that had an intimidating effect on opponents. The snake bit right in. Stabler’s exclusive scrambling style made him a dangerous playmaker through the air and on the ground and his confident demeanor was a perfect fit for the tough take-no-prisoners mentality of the 1970s Raiders.
And Stabler was on the money. And the Raiders have closed this one out…
He would be slowed by a series of knee injuries but in fitting Stabler fashion, he learned to improvise. Though the once frequent scrambler reinvented himself as a more traditional drop-back passer. The results were the same.
John Madden:
Whatever that thing was that focused that concentration, that competitiveness, he could just step it up a notch when you needed it.
Stabler rolling to the left, he’s gonna go, touchdown Oakland.
Under the tutelage of head coach John Madden, Stabler’s Raiders were a postseason fixture in 1972. Oakland engaged in a memorable playoff struggle with the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers. It would go down as one of the most famous games in sports history.
Stabler to pass, steps away from the rush, he’s gonna run up the left side, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 touchdown. Kenny Stabler goes all the way.
After leading the league in passing touchdowns, Stabler was named league MVP in 1974. He again led the league in touchdown passes in 1976 taking the Raiders to Super Bowl LIII.
These are hungry football teams and the world awaits to find out who is going to wear that Super Bowl ring.
There he faced off against Minnesota famed purple people leaders defense and future Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. Stabler was unfazed marching his team up and down the field in a second quarter flurry that broke the game open.
Kenny Stabler:
I don’t know how to describe this feeling, it’s unbelievable, it’s more than I expected.
Super Bowl LIII was part of a historic Oakland run. The Raiders won five consecutive AFC West Titles and Stabler became the first quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to take his team to five straight conference title games. Stabler reached four Pro Bowls in his 15 NFL seasons. He remains the Raiders all-time franchise leader in wins, passing yards and passing touchdowns. But beyond the stats Stabler also exemplified the best of what the Raiders aspired to be.
I always said that if I had one Quarterback to make a drive the length of the field at the end of the game to win that game that guy would be Ken Stabler, number 12. We miss you, love you and will see you in the Hall of Fame.
He was tough, he was confident, and he was a devoted fixture in the city of Oakland. Stabler remains a symbol of that golden era and iconic representation of excellence so frequently sought and for a few rare individuals memorably found.
It is my pleasure to present for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, my friend Ken Stabler.