As a kid, I loved to watch the Raiders-Steelers games of the seventies. They were some of the most dirty, hard hitting, and entertaining football games ever played.
I watched him play many times at the Oakland Coliseum. He truly was a clutch quarterback. Those teams of the 70's were the greatest of all time for me. Lots of controversy. The AFC, was newly merged with the NFL in 1966, and the sparks began to fly. The forward pass was brought into vogue by the new upstart AFC. Stabler, and others, were the prototype for the forward passing game. It was so incredibly exciting. After the home games on Sunday, many of the players, and their wives, went to Jack London Square and met with the fans. They were always cordial and inviting. It was sn incredible time to be a fan.....
I agree! I liked it when there were only 2 guys in ugly jackets announcing the game and highlights during halftime. The 70's was the best decade of the NFL by far in my opinion.
Agreed - it was the best team to follow and a real joy to see Stabler on the field with so many great players - Blanda, Bilitnikoff, Hubbard, Davis, Allen - and all the many others. I think I watch nearly every Raider game Stabler played. He has been my favorite quarterback through all of football history.
I graduated from Foley HS in 1967. Dated his sister in my Senior year but he was larger than life. I saw him beat Auburn in the worse rainstorm I ever was out in. A quarterback scramble of over 50 yards. He could do it all. There are SO many stories about him. Can't begin to post them here but I really never got to know him. He was THE BEST at any sport with a ball. Golf? Baseball. You name it. HOF was denied because of the owner. He basically blackballed Kenny. But a REAL man to the end.
The Snake finally was inducted into the football HOF in 2016 and deserved it a lot sooner.Also,there is another Raider QB that needs to be elected to the football HOF and his name is Jim Plunket.He won 2 Superbowls in 1980&1983.He led the Raiders in 1980 to win that Superbowl as the 1st wild card team .
Plunket was a failure in NE and they gave him away to Oakland. Big mistake. What Plunket needed was a competent OC and QB coach. He's a good example of the idea that "coaching counts".
@@skelderon64 Hayes was another stud that NE gave away to Oakland. Damn, you guys got some top flight talent from us. No wonder the football gods evened up the ledger with the Tuck Rule Game.
Me and my young son went into a sports memorabilia store in Vegas. There was like no one there. Mr Stabler was there with some pretty lady. He was there to sign autographs. I told him I liked the chargers and I wasn’t really a raiders fan. He said “ neither am I”. He was funny and very cool. He let my kid put on his superbowl ring. I worked with a bunch of raider fans and here I was chatting with the snake. Such a great dude
Wow. That’s a great story with one of greatest quarterbacks in nfl history. Hard to fathom that few people were there. That would be like joe Montana sitting by himself 😊😊😊.
The sports journalists hated him. They're so petty, they waited until he was dead to put him in the Hall. Players and coaches need to decide who goes into the Hall! He probably would've been a first rounder!!!
Yeah the sports journalists did him dirty. More than any other player, I think. They shouldn't have been able to do him like that. It's about what you did on the field that determines whether you should go into the HOF or not. And he was an absolute no brainer.
At the time that Kenny "the Snake" Stabler was playing for the Oakland Raiders, I was a Baltimore Colts fan. But Stabler was an icon. I loved him, respected him, and feared him. What a ball player.🏈
Which is why the title of this video is nothing but click bait. He finished his career with Phillips on a bad Saints team but he was a fan-favorite. He lived a great life, gave away a lot of money to charity, lived a long life, lived till 70 and didn’t regret a thing. Most of us will never have experienced and accomplishments what the Snake did! He lived to the fullest! RIP snake!🐍
In high school I was a total Raiders fan. Stayed that way throughout college ( undergrad). Was soooo happy with the superbowl win. After the military I did graduate school at Alabama. So in the mid 90's I was attending a sports card/memorabliia show and Ken Stabler was a guest. I wore my Alabama jacket and hat. went up to his table with a hearty Roll Tide. Got invited to come around the table and sit and talk with him. Even got our picture taken together. Was in heaven. Told him he was being cheated not getting inducted into Hall of Fame. So glad that finally happened. It was a priveledge meeting this man. LOL also got to see Willy Joe (Namath) and did the same thing. Didn't get invited around though
Born in 70 and grew up in Oakland - Great memories watching the Raiders play. They were extremely scrappy and tough as nails. I miss the Oakland Coliseum. No more professional teams in Oakland! What a shame. Oakland elected officials are a disgrace.
I knew Snake well and worked hard to get him into the HOF, but he had detractors -- one in particular. That detractor was not on the selection committee in 2016 and, for good and appropriate measure, my presentation to the selection committee that year was in the form of a law suit. It is difficult to get Raiders into the HOF -- Stabler, Ray Guy and Cliff Branch made it as seniors, with Cliff also getting inducted the year after his death. It took 27 years to get John Madden into the HOF, although part of that was nobody believed he was really retired at age 42. I was fortunate to have great times with Snake who always treated me well....That year he rejected the media was because he said something negative about a teammate, a lineman, and was pissed at himself. To avoid that, he just turned away from the media.
I remember that. He spoke about the Left Tackle Henry Lawrence and stated that sometimes he felt like he was standing in the middle of a freeway because Lawrence hadn't quite developed his professional skills.
The last time I saw Kenny Stabler he was tending bar at Maribels in Kemah, Texas. He was doing it for the fun of it, not because he had to! He was funny, with a great sense of who he was!
Colon cancer has little to do with drinking or smoking. Might as well say he too much meat. Anyway he made it longer than a lot of people I know that lived clean lives.
@mackdeen7021 You couldn't be more wrong. Alcohol consumption, especially long-term heavy drinking like Snakes, greatly increases ones risk of cancer. Colon cancer is particularly common among drinkers. Smoking increases the risk even more.
All-time favorite QB during the Raiders glory days but Stabler probably played 2 years too long and from the numerous knee surgeries. His stint with the Saints didn't end well and he should have hung it up after '81 with the Oilers. Snake was the original field general of the 2-minute offense before Brady. No one I'd rather have on the field marching 80-yards downfield to score a TD. Too bad he never saw his HoF induction.
My favorite Oakland Raider. Ken Stabler. I to was a left handed Quarterback in High School. My coach started calling me Snake. My teammates thought it was funny. I took it as a compliment.
I saw Stabler walk onto the field for his first time, lived on Peninsula but drove to Oakland on weekend nights and he was always partying at Jack London Square, he never had to pay for a drink, every girl would want to leave the bar with him, he would talk to anybody, it was great to get buy him a drink, best guy in the world, everyone wanted to hand with him. I watched his last game with New Orleans and conservative play calling with big lead the defense let him down, the coach dropped him to 3rd string but Kenny was the greatest of all time in my opinion
I was a fan of the Raiders and the snake. The only reason he wasn't selected to the hof on the first ballot was because of Al Davis. Davis was a thug. He kept him out because Stabler wouldn't kha. Davis was a used cars salesman with shoe polished hair, pimp clothes and a pinky ring. Good lord, look at his son. Stabler made the Raiders the Raiders. Not Al Davis. It was Madden and Stabler. More the latter than the former.
Probably, he screw over a lot of player, most notably Marcus Allen but Pete Banasac not spelled right but I know he screw over Pete also, if you were not a kiss ass Al would screw you over
The raiders trained in my home town of Santa Rosa CA. My dad owned the property that boarded the El Rancho . The Raiders had closed practices but as kids we would be on my dads property looking through the knotholes in the fence. One dsy Stabler spotted us and he came over to the fence and threw us a football. He said wait till practice was over and he came out snd autographed the football. Got to know him later on. Just a tremendous, good guy ,(as where the rest of the Raiders). To this day, Stabler is the man in Santa Rosa. We miss him.
I lived in Santa Rosa back in those days when the Raiders were there. They used to hang out at our neighborhood bar, Melendy's, near Coddingtown. We used to see them all over the bars in Santa Rosa. Good guys.
I had a membership at the El Rancho swimming pool. The Raiders dining hall was right at the pool. We used to see the team arriving to the meals after practice. My best memory was seeing all the players going into the dining hall, while an assistant coach went into the bar. When he left, Kenny, George Blanda and Ray Guy, all come out of the bar to go to the dining hall.
@@61dodgelancersmall world . I went to Montgomery highschool in mayette village with Melindys son Marc. I worked for Hugh codding in the 80's and 90's building the shopping mall stores. Glad to read your reply 👍. Miss the el rancho days. Take care
I find it sad that Stabler was such a great quarterback but overshadowed by the Steelers. I remember him leading the Raiders to a victory against the Saints. The Saints were up by two touchdowns at the start of the second half. Hats off to the Snake.
I remember watching that game as a SAINTS fan, I was soooooo Pissed. Actually I think the SAINTS were up but more than 2 TDs. I couldn't believe we lost, at the end of his career he came to the SAINTS as QB, he was one of the most accurate NFL passers I had ever seen!! Didn't have the strongest ARM, but extremely accurate !!
If not for the freakin' Immaculate Reception, the Raiders would have punched a hole in the Steelers story and Oakland's greatness would look even greater Go Bills..
I was told this by a former tight end for the Oilers who was from Alabama. Stabler liked him. He was a back up. Late in a losing game Bum Phillips put him in. His first play in an NFL game! In the huddle, on the 30 yard line out to score, he said Stabler spoke to him. "Hey kid. See that camera man in the back of the end zone by the Cheerleaders? I will throw the ball to you. The drinks are on me tonight if you take him out. If you catch the touchdown and take him out, drinks are on me for the rest of the season." He said the other players in the huddle were cracking up. He said he could not believe it. But, he did as he was told and blasted the camera man. Didn't catch the touchdown pass. Apparently, the camera man had pissed Stabler off for some reason that day, interfering or having said something to Snake that Snake did not like. I also saw Snake and Lyle Alzado in the AFC locker room at the 1978 Pro Bowl in Tampa Fl. Alzado was great.
John Madden said that if there was a one-time critical game to be played, then the Snake would be his QB of choice. That is pretty big coming from John Madden. Also I was born in the year of the Snake. So Snake it is.
As an Auburn fan, one of my favorite memories, not just sporting memories, but memories, period, involve Ken Stabler and the colorful way he spoke on broadcast. You see, when Jim Fyffe died, it took me a couple seasons to start loving Rod Bramblett...(God rest both souls). So I listened to Eli Gold/Stabler for the 2004 and 2005 Iron Bowls. (On top of obviously every Bama game I listened to, of course). But What I remember most about that 2004 Iron Bowl pregame radio broadcast, was The Snake saying something to the effect of "....I know Auburn is a great team, undefeated, and the state has a shot to get a team into the BCS title game--but im an Alabama man, and I hope we beat their ass today." And he said that a couple times i think lol(I'm summarizing/paraphrasing, of course. But it was something along those lines) I don't know why, but that's always stuck with me over the years, in a very positive, charming way of course. The Golden Era of college football is done and gone. For me, it's not even close-- the Golden Age of college football was the BCS era by a mile. I know all of that is somewhat off topic. But I just wanted to express that even an Auburn fan like myself enjoys the tradition of Alabama football, and everything on the periphery of it. I still see Jim Fyffe as Eli Gold's equal, and I'm sure you'll disagree, that's fine. But even Bama fans can't deny that there was magic in Jim Fyffe's famous "Touchdooooooown Aubuuuuuuuuuuurnnn" lol. But anyways, the best days of my life, and the THE MOST fond memories I have involve Eli Gold, Kenny 'The Snake' Stabler, and the Iron Bowl back when it was a given that if both teams played their entire schedule with the intensity and ferocity with which they played each other, most years both teams wouldve entered the Iron Bowl undefeated. I truly believe that there was a time not too long ago that that was true. The Snake, Eli Gold, Jim Fyffe....and then after a couple years, even Rod Bramblett, all these guys, and the memories they gave me mean so much. I'm getting a lump in my throat as I type this. Kenny Stabler, Rod Bramblett and wife Paula Bramblett, may they rest peacefully. And WDE/RTR😊😊
As a diehard Dolphins fan, the Snake made me cry as a young boy when he pulled out a win in the Sea of Hands game. Stabler was on his knees throwing the winning TD. What a game! Great QB! 😢
For my money, if the game's on the line I want Kenny Stabler at quarterback!!!! Da Raiders: A team of Character, built on a team of Characters!!!!! Led by a true Character...the great John Madden 🤔💪🎉🎆👍👍
I’m from Western PA. Growing up my friends were Steeler fans. We watched the Raiders Steelers games. As you all know these games were the best. I loved having the last laugh when the Snake would throw TD passes to win the game pulling the rug out from under the Steel Curtain 😂
His posthumous induction is a disgrace on the system. Ken Stabler deserved to have his moment of glory and give an acceptance speech at the NFL HOF in Canton!!
Yeah, if you think about it, they passed up putting him in for 27 years. Then he dies, and magically, he’s now good enough to be in the very next selection. There’s a story there.
“The Snake” just as Jim Plunket did not get his just dues, because of reputation, and what I believe is the leagues dislike of Al Davis and the Raiders in general! Although Plunket may not have great season stats, his leadership and winning, poise in the big games is unmatched! Just as Stabler’s was!
I was born in Oakland and grew up and live in Santa Rosa, Ca, where the Raiders training camp was. Yes I remember Ken hanging out at the Music Box, Round Robin, 440 Club, Everybody’s Talking…..
It’s not always about stats. Snake called his own plays and let Oakland to 5 straight championships (almost 6 if not for the Immaculate Reception game in ‘72). Snake was a winner.
Yep I watched that live. Couldn't believe it. They musta run the replay on that a dozen times. In those years a DB had to touch the ball between offensive players and Tatum definitely did. Franco was a rookie that year as well and just happened to be in a perfect place at a perfect time. I remember there was 13 seconds left in the game. We beat Pittburgh the following week in the championship game which was the only undefeated season in NFL history. But that record will probably never be broken due to the different strategy nowadays. The only sports record that will never be broken was set the following year.. by a horse. yeah Secretariat. this one: ruclips.net/video/vfCMtaNiMDM/видео.html
I lived in northern California for over 10 years and attended the Raiders often. Stabler should have been also given the name of "Mr. Cool" as stayed knowing that he was going to get blasted but remained calm and threw that ball like a rocket. It was fun watching many of the greats play in those days. Otto Big "00", Fred Biletnikoff, Howy Long along with a ton of others. Great football back in those days.
What a Fantastic QB he should have been in the Hall in his lifetime. The illness was sudden and traumatic otherwise he would have been inducted in his lifetime. Politics reared it's ugly head and delayed what was so richly deserved.Rip#12
I loved watching him play when I was a kid. Yes he beat my vikings in the super bowl. It's a doggone shame he was not inducted to Canton during his lifetime. That's just sad. Shame on the NFL.
Snake was legendary. My dad had season tickets throughout the 60's and 70's on the 40-yard line on the Raider bench. It was football heaven to see my hero's up close. We'd have the transistor radio on listening to Bill King. Dad's friends went to Rickey's Sport Lounge in San Leandro. Stabler provided us with super star entertainment and legendary memories at the Coliseum. It was even more exciting because it was with my dad, RIP.
This was some great history of one of my favorite quarterbacks. I knew he was a fantastic athlete, but I wasn’t aware of his skills as a Pitcher. He would’ve set records in baseball if he chose that career. Rest in peace Kenny.
I'm always amazed he wasn't inducted into the hall of fame sooner. Through good times and bad he was amazing to watch on the field. He was my favorite player to watch on Sundays and Mondays where he had an amazing record on Monday night football.
I watched the Raider growing up during the 60's and 70's, it was fun and amazing. He fit in with the raiders' rep, the Snake, the Ghost, Dr Death, the assassin, Big bad Ben, and the mad bomber just to name a few.
Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch should have been in the HOF during their lifetimes but they and the Raiders were not well liked by the media. This is also the reason why players like Jack Tatum, Lester Hayes, Todd Christiansen and others are not in as well.
All I know is he brought the Raiders back from 4 touchdowns in a game I still can’t get over. His players caught everything he threw-the stadium was shaking the crowd never sat down!
Even if, that's not the reason he was kept out for so long. It was personal between the sports journalists who hated him for decades & held a grudge. They really did him dirty.
I’m pleased Terry Bradshaw lobbied for his induction into the HOF. He knew how good Ken was. BTW - Stabler and Don Sutton pitched against one another when the two were in high school. Ken got the win that day, but commented, in his book, that Sutton was the superior picture.
Total hero material...the board in charge of Hall of Fame nominations should be in prison for there pathetic behavior! What a disgraceful group of ass-clown politicians:(
As an Idaho kid, I had no home team allegiance so I gravitated to the most interesting, inspiring teams. The Rams of the 60s with the Fearsome Foursome and the "General" Roman Gabriel. When Snake became the Raiders starting quarterback with Madden as coach and the colorful misfits of the 70s, it was very easy to switch to them. I still get sick every time I see (or even think about) the *^%%# Immaculate Reception.
Stabler threw seven interceptions in a game against the Broncos in 1977. He is one of six players in NFL history to throw seven interceptions in a single game.
Maybe more about his off field activities (drinking, partying, womanizing) and his colorful/criminal teammates would capture his personality more. The passing stats don't tell his story... it was his toughness and performance in the clutch that separated him from his contemporaries. The Raiders of the 70s were degenerates, thugs and villains and he was the head of the snake.
That 75 Bronco game, Rob Lydle fumbled the ball on the 2 yard line and went into the end zone without the ball, I knew John Ralston and he even admitted it.
Loved Kenny the Snake. And George Blanda. Both had flare for the dramatic. I do remember Daryl "the Mad Bomber" Lamonica, prior to both. According to Google....Elected to the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, Daryl has had a Clovis stadium named after him and has even been named to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Lamonica had a 70-21-6 career regular season and playoff record including a record of 43-7-1 prior to 1970. . His . 753 winning percentage would land him second behind Mahomes, Why not HOF?! Probably media hate of Al Davis
The TRAGIC End Of John Matuszak...
➜ruclips.net/video/Ybxl2NsTsoc/видео.html
As a kid, I loved to watch the Raiders-Steelers games of the seventies. They were some of the most dirty, hard hitting, and entertaining football games ever played.
Yeah they didn't throw a flag fer breathin on the QB too hard
Steelers fans agree
70'sNFL the GOAT years
@@PaulFormentos Too bad Kenny couldn’t enjoy his later years. His brain damage was significant.
Chiefs Raiders!
I watched him play many times at the Oakland Coliseum. He truly was a clutch quarterback. Those teams of the 70's were the greatest of all time for me. Lots of controversy. The AFC, was newly merged with the NFL in 1966, and the sparks began to fly. The forward pass was brought into vogue by the new upstart AFC. Stabler, and others, were the prototype for the forward passing game. It was so incredibly exciting. After the home games on Sunday, many of the players, and their wives, went to Jack London Square and met with the fans. They were always cordial and inviting. It was sn incredible time to be a fan.....
I agree! I liked it when there were only 2 guys in ugly jackets announcing the game and highlights during halftime. The 70's was the best decade of the NFL by far in my opinion.
@-e-1536 yea it ain't been nothing after that. That was real football and I miss it
I used to play in the yard with my brother recreating the “sea of hands” play where he was falling down and scored the game winner
Agreed - it was the best team to follow and a real joy to see Stabler on the field with so many great players - Blanda, Bilitnikoff, Hubbard, Davis, Allen - and all the many others. I think I watch nearly every Raider game Stabler played. He has been my favorite quarterback through all of football history.
This is a great retrospective of Ken Stabler’s career - so thorough and enlightening. Thanks!
I graduated from Foley HS in 1967. Dated his sister in my Senior year but he was larger than life. I saw him beat Auburn in the worse rainstorm I ever was out in. A quarterback scramble of over 50 yards. He could do it all. There are SO many stories about him. Can't begin to post them here but I really never got to know him. He was THE BEST at any sport with a ball. Golf? Baseball. You name it. HOF was denied because of the owner. He basically blackballed Kenny. But a REAL man to the end.
The Snake finally was inducted into the football HOF in 2016 and deserved it a lot sooner.Also,there is another Raider QB that needs to be elected to the football HOF and his name is Jim Plunket.He won 2 Superbowls in 1980&1983.He led the Raiders in 1980 to win that Superbowl as the 1st wild card team .
Great player 👏 They should have have put him in the HOF when he was alive He gave it all for his team
Hell yes bro. Lester Hayes too.
Jim Plunkett deserves to be in the Hall of Fame...FACTS...
Plunket was a failure in NE and they gave him away to Oakland. Big mistake. What Plunket needed was a competent OC and QB coach. He's a good example of the idea that "coaching counts".
@@skelderon64 Hayes was another stud that NE gave away to Oakland. Damn, you guys got some top flight talent from us. No wonder the football gods evened up the ledger with the Tuck Rule Game.
Me and my young son went into a sports memorabilia store in Vegas. There was like no one there. Mr Stabler was there with some pretty lady. He was there to sign autographs. I told him I liked the chargers and I wasn’t really a raiders fan. He said “ neither am I”. He was funny and very cool. He let my kid put on his superbowl ring. I worked with a bunch of raider fans and here I was chatting with the snake. Such a great dude
Wow. That’s a great story with one of greatest quarterbacks in nfl history. Hard to fathom that few people were there. That would be like joe Montana sitting by himself 😊😊😊.
The sports journalists hated him. They're so petty, they waited until he was dead to put him in the Hall. Players and coaches need to decide who goes into the Hall! He probably would've been a first rounder!!!
Yeah the sports journalists did him dirty. More than any other player, I think. They shouldn't have been able to do him like that. It's about what you did on the field that determines whether you should go into the HOF or not. And he was an absolute no brainer.
At the time that Kenny "the Snake" Stabler was playing for the Oakland Raiders, I was a Baltimore Colts fan. But Stabler was an icon. I loved him, respected him, and feared him. What a ball player.🏈
He had a great life. He was a great player. He was a good person. A life well lived. I watched him play many times, he was slick as ice.
Which is why the title of this video is nothing but click bait. He finished his career with Phillips on a bad Saints team but he was a fan-favorite. He lived a great life, gave away a lot of money to charity, lived a long life, lived till 70 and didn’t regret a thing. Most of us will never have experienced and accomplishments what the Snake did! He lived to the fullest! RIP snake!🐍
In high school I was a total Raiders fan. Stayed that way throughout college ( undergrad). Was soooo happy with the superbowl win. After the military I did graduate school at Alabama. So in the mid 90's I was attending a sports card/memorabliia show and Ken Stabler was a guest. I wore my Alabama jacket and hat. went up to his table with a hearty Roll Tide. Got invited to come around the table and sit and talk with him. Even got our picture taken together. Was in heaven. Told him he was being cheated not getting inducted into Hall of Fame. So glad that finally happened. It was a priveledge meeting this man. LOL also got to see Willy Joe (Namath) and did the same thing. Didn't get invited around though
Born in 70 and grew up in Oakland - Great memories watching the Raiders play. They were extremely scrappy and tough as nails. I miss the Oakland Coliseum. No more professional teams in Oakland! What a shame. Oakland elected officials are a disgrace.
My Dad,,Kenny Martin was on the 1966 Alabama team.RIP SNAKE
Was your dad from Hemet?
Roll Tide!!!
I am a longtime Saints’ fan and recall “The Snake’s” time in New Orleans. He was on his way out of the league, but lefty was still fun to watch.
I knew Snake well and worked hard to get him into the HOF, but he had detractors -- one in particular. That detractor was not on the selection committee in 2016 and, for good and appropriate measure, my presentation to the selection committee that year was in the form of a law suit. It is difficult to get Raiders into the HOF -- Stabler, Ray Guy and Cliff Branch made it as seniors, with Cliff also getting inducted the year after his death. It took 27 years to get John Madden into the HOF, although part of that was nobody believed he was really retired at age 42. I was fortunate to have great times with Snake who always treated me well....That year he rejected the media was because he said something negative about a teammate, a lineman, and was pissed at himself. To avoid that, he just turned away from the media.
Wow thanks for this
I remember that. He spoke about the Left Tackle Henry Lawrence and stated that sometimes he felt like he was standing in the middle of a freeway because Lawrence hadn't quite developed his professional skills.
The last time I saw Kenny Stabler he was tending bar at Maribels in Kemah, Texas. He was doing it for the fun of it, not because he had to! He was funny, with a great sense of who he was!
He smoked and drank. That's the reason he died at age 69.
@@crand20033he didn’t want to get colonoscopy and died of prostrate cancer
Colon cancer has little to do with drinking or smoking. Might as well say he too much meat. Anyway he made it longer than a lot of people I know that lived clean lives.
@mackdeen7021 You couldn't be more wrong. Alcohol consumption, especially long-term heavy drinking like Snakes, greatly increases ones risk of cancer. Colon cancer is particularly common among drinkers. Smoking increases the risk even more.
That is sad! I watch Kenny when I was a kid and he was my favorite. He might have been wild but he was a winner!
All-time favorite QB during the Raiders glory days but Stabler probably played 2 years too long and from the numerous knee surgeries. His stint with the Saints didn't end well and he should have hung it up after '81 with the Oilers. Snake was the original field general of the 2-minute offense before Brady. No one I'd rather have on the field marching 80-yards downfield to score a TD. Too bad he never saw his HoF induction.
My favorite Oakland Raider. Ken Stabler. I to was a left handed Quarterback in High School. My coach started calling me Snake. My teammates thought it was funny. I took it as a compliment.
I saw Stabler walk onto the field for his first time, lived on Peninsula but drove to Oakland on weekend nights and he was always partying at Jack London Square, he never had to pay for a drink, every girl would want to leave the bar with him, he would talk to anybody, it was great to get buy him a drink, best guy in the world, everyone wanted to hand with him. I watched his last game with New Orleans and conservative play calling with big lead the defense let him down, the coach dropped him to 3rd string but Kenny was the greatest of all time in my opinion
I was a fan of the Raiders and the snake. The only reason he wasn't selected to the hof on the first ballot was because of Al Davis. Davis was a thug. He kept him out because Stabler wouldn't kha. Davis was a used cars salesman with shoe polished hair, pimp clothes and a pinky ring. Good lord, look at his son.
Stabler made the Raiders the Raiders. Not Al Davis. It was Madden and Stabler. More the latter than the former.
Yes you are correct i was a dener native they would fly in to denver saturday he would be at a party that night then kick denvers butts the next day.
Probably, he screw over a lot of player, most notably Marcus Allen but Pete Banasac not spelled right but I know he screw over Pete also, if you were not a kiss ass Al would screw you over
Snake could spin it like a top. Fun to watch the old Raiders they had so many personalities.
The raiders trained in my home town of Santa Rosa CA. My dad owned the property that boarded the El Rancho . The Raiders had closed practices but as kids we would be on my dads property looking through the knotholes in the fence. One dsy Stabler spotted us and he came over to the fence and threw us a football. He said wait till practice was over and he came out snd autographed the football. Got to know him later on. Just a tremendous, good guy ,(as where the rest of the Raiders). To this day, Stabler is the man in Santa Rosa. We miss him.
Great story.
He was a great player and cared about the fans.
I lived in Santa Rosa back in those days when the Raiders were there. They used to hang out at our neighborhood bar, Melendy's, near Coddingtown. We used to see them all over the bars in Santa Rosa. Good guys.
I had a membership at the El Rancho swimming pool. The Raiders dining hall was right at the pool. We used to see the team arriving to the meals after practice. My best memory was seeing all the players going into the dining hall, while an assistant coach went into the bar. When he left, Kenny, George Blanda and Ray Guy, all come out of the bar to go to the dining hall.
@@61dodgelancersmall world . I went to Montgomery highschool in mayette village with Melindys son Marc. I worked for Hugh codding in the 80's and 90's building the shopping mall stores. Glad to read your reply 👍. Miss the el rancho days. Take care
I find it sad that Stabler was such a great quarterback but overshadowed by the Steelers. I remember him leading the Raiders to a victory against the Saints. The Saints were up by two touchdowns at the start of the second half. Hats off to the Snake.
I remember watching that game as a SAINTS fan, I was soooooo Pissed. Actually I think the SAINTS were up but more than 2 TDs. I couldn't believe we lost, at the end of his career he came to the SAINTS as QB, he was one of the most accurate NFL passers I had ever seen!! Didn't have the strongest ARM, but extremely accurate !!
If not for the freakin' Immaculate Reception, the Raiders would have punched a hole in the Steelers story and Oakland's greatness would look even greater Go Bills..
I was told this by a former tight end for the Oilers who was from Alabama. Stabler liked him. He was a back up. Late in a losing game Bum Phillips put him in. His first play in an NFL game! In the huddle, on the 30 yard line out to score, he said Stabler spoke to him. "Hey kid. See that camera man in the back of the end zone by the Cheerleaders? I will throw the ball to you. The drinks are on me tonight if you take him out. If you catch the touchdown and take him out, drinks are on me for the rest of the season." He said the other players in the huddle were cracking up. He said he could not believe it. But, he did as he was told and blasted the camera man. Didn't catch the touchdown pass. Apparently, the camera man had pissed Stabler off for some reason that day, interfering or having said something to Snake that Snake did not like.
I also saw Snake and Lyle Alzado in the AFC locker room at the 1978 Pro Bowl in Tampa Fl. Alzado was great.
John Madden said that if there was a one-time critical game to be played, then the Snake would be his QB of choice. That is pretty big coming from John Madden. Also I was born in the year of the Snake. So Snake it is.
As an Auburn fan, one of my favorite memories, not just sporting memories, but memories, period, involve Ken Stabler and the colorful way he spoke on broadcast.
You see, when Jim Fyffe died, it took me a couple seasons to start loving Rod Bramblett...(God rest both souls). So I listened to Eli Gold/Stabler for the 2004 and 2005 Iron Bowls. (On top of obviously every Bama game I listened to, of course). But What I remember most about that 2004 Iron Bowl pregame radio broadcast, was The Snake saying something to the effect of "....I know Auburn is a great team, undefeated, and the state has a shot to get a team into the BCS title game--but im an Alabama man, and I hope we beat their ass today." And he said that a couple times i think lol(I'm summarizing/paraphrasing, of course. But it was something along those lines)
I don't know why, but that's always stuck with me over the years, in a very positive, charming way of course.
The Golden Era of college football is done and gone. For me, it's not even close-- the Golden Age of college football was the BCS era by a mile.
I know all of that is somewhat off topic. But I just wanted to express that even an Auburn fan like myself enjoys the tradition of Alabama football, and everything on the periphery of it.
I still see Jim Fyffe as Eli Gold's equal, and I'm sure you'll disagree, that's fine. But even Bama fans can't deny that there was magic in Jim Fyffe's famous "Touchdooooooown Aubuuuuuuuuuuurnnn" lol. But anyways, the best days of my life, and the THE MOST fond memories I have involve Eli Gold, Kenny 'The Snake' Stabler, and the Iron Bowl back when it was a given that if both teams played their entire schedule with the intensity and ferocity with which they played each other, most years both teams wouldve entered the Iron Bowl undefeated. I truly believe that there was a time not too long ago that that was true.
The Snake, Eli Gold, Jim Fyffe....and then after a couple years, even Rod Bramblett, all these guys, and the memories they gave me mean so much. I'm getting a lump in my throat as I type this.
Kenny Stabler, Rod Bramblett and wife Paula Bramblett, may they rest peacefully. And WDE/RTR😊😊
Should have been inducted much sooner. Best 2 minute drill QB in NFL history.
As a diehard Dolphins fan, the Snake made me cry as a young boy when he pulled out a win in the Sea of Hands game. Stabler was on his knees throwing the winning TD. What a game! Great QB! 😢
Bradshaw's target was not Franco Harris it was Frenchy Fuqua who was then leveled by Jack Tatum
VERY GOOD!!!!! Someone who knows NFL History.............how refreshing!!!!!!
The ball hit the ground
That was one heck of a reception, amazing
He was the best at his time . Gutsy guy . Took a beating and still completed passes .
For my money, if the game's on the line I want Kenny Stabler at quarterback!!!! Da Raiders: A team of Character, built on a team of Characters!!!!! Led by a true Character...the great John Madden 🤔💪🎉🎆👍👍
That 7 and 5 playoff record proves it!! 🏈🏈🏈🏈
Loved watching him in Oakland
RIP
I’m from Western PA. Growing up my friends were Steeler fans. We watched the Raiders Steelers games. As you all know these games were the best. I loved having the last laugh when the Snake would throw TD passes to win the game pulling the rug out from under the Steel Curtain 😂
He was my favorite QB as a kid living in Michigan.
I always enjoyed watching the Kenny Stabler play, even as a suffering Bronco fan many years ago, lol.
The coolest cat in the NFL
It’s terrible they waited to long for the HOF.
His posthumous induction is a disgrace on the system. Ken Stabler deserved to have his moment of glory and give an acceptance speech at the NFL HOF in Canton!!
Yeah, if you think about it, they passed up putting him in for 27 years. Then he dies, and magically, he’s now good enough to be in the very next selection. There’s a story there.
“The Snake” just as Jim Plunket did not get his just dues, because of reputation, and what I believe is the leagues dislike of Al Davis and the Raiders in general! Although Plunket may not have great season stats, his leadership and winning, poise in the big games is unmatched! Just as Stabler’s was!
Stabler’s 7 and 5 playoff record proves it!! 🏈🏈🏈🏈
I was born in Oakland and grew up and live in Santa Rosa, Ca, where the Raiders training camp was. Yes I remember Ken hanging out at the Music Box, Round Robin, 440 Club, Everybody’s Talking…..
A disgrace… it recognizes the player while he lives… and remembers him after he is gone.
Way too late…
Agreed
He was incredible. Stabler to Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnekoff , the Raiders were one of the best teams in that era when football was football 🏈 !!!
It’s not always about stats. Snake called his own plays and let Oakland to 5 straight championships (almost 6 if not for the Immaculate Reception game in ‘72).
Snake was a winner.
Yep I watched that live. Couldn't believe it. They musta run the replay on that a dozen times. In those years a DB had to touch the ball between offensive players and Tatum definitely did. Franco was a rookie that year as well and just happened to be in a perfect place at a perfect time. I remember there was 13 seconds left in the game. We beat Pittburgh the following week in the championship game which was the only undefeated season in NFL history. But that record will probably never be broken due to the different strategy nowadays. The only sports record that will never be broken was set the following year.. by a horse. yeah Secretariat. this one: ruclips.net/video/vfCMtaNiMDM/видео.html
When the stats aren’t that good, the fan boys always say “It’s not always about stats.”
He was a clutch QB he knew how to get the ball in the end zone great player
Kenny is still my favorite player of all time. Met him once, it was so awesome.
The best Raiders quarterback ever. That's when the Raiders were the Raiders !!!!!
I met Snake and got his autograph once after a Birmingham Fire game for which he was an announcer
Amazing , best Raider history I've seen, thanks so much
I seen him play with the Oakland raiders back in the early to mid-seventies I think he was an awesome quarterback
With the game on the line no one could run a 2-minute drill like Kenny Stabler. The most exciting two minutes in all of football
Agree - few QB’s could squeeze as much out of the final 2 minutes of a game.
I lived in northern California for over 10 years and attended the Raiders often. Stabler should have been also given the name of "Mr. Cool" as stayed knowing that he was going to get blasted but remained calm and threw that ball like a rocket. It was fun watching many of the greats play in those days. Otto Big "00", Fred Biletnikoff, Howy Long along with a ton of others. Great football back in those days.
What a Fantastic QB he should have been in the Hall in his lifetime. The illness was sudden and traumatic otherwise he would have been inducted in his lifetime. Politics reared it's ugly head and delayed what was so richly deserved.Rip#12
The NFL will probably do the same thing to Plunkett and Flores.
They hate the Raiders.
I loved watching him play when I was a kid. Yes he beat my vikings in the super bowl.
It's a doggone shame he was not inducted to Canton during his lifetime. That's just sad. Shame on the NFL.
My favorite QB ever.
He was so clutch.
RIP Snake.
What made him so great was his ability to win during crunch time. When the pressure was on, he could rally the team and win. Unbelievable to watch.
His 7 and 5 playoff record proves it!! 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
FAN AS A KID
I can't think of a better person to represent the Oakland Raiders Of the 1970s. The snake was meant to be a Raider.
I believe his name was Zimmerman who never voted for Ken because he was an asshole.
Throwing to Fred Biletnikoff sure helped Kenny's stats. :)
Gotta love those guys, that could close the bar, the night before, and produce the next day.
The old Redskins had a handful of them.
The "Snake" was the man.Go Raider Nation !!!
Snake was legendary. My dad had season tickets throughout the 60's and 70's on the 40-yard line on the Raider bench. It was football heaven to see my hero's up close. We'd have the transistor radio on listening to Bill King. Dad's friends went to Rickey's Sport Lounge in San Leandro. Stabler provided us with super star entertainment and legendary memories at the Coliseum. It was even more exciting because it was with my dad, RIP.
Real man when men played football.
This was some great history of one of my favorite quarterbacks. I knew he was a fantastic athlete, but I wasn’t aware of his skills as a Pitcher. He would’ve set records in baseball if he chose that career. Rest in peace Kenny.
Dude was a badass.
I'm always amazed he wasn't inducted into the hall of fame sooner. Through good times and bad he was amazing to watch on the field. He was my favorite player to watch on Sundays and Mondays where he had an amazing record on Monday night football.
The forward fumble vs. Chargers still amazes me, funny as hell
The immaculate deception!
The holy roller
Holy roller.
Didn’t that prompt a league rule change?
I watched the Raider growing up during the 60's and 70's, it was fun and amazing. He fit in with the raiders' rep, the Snake, the Ghost, Dr Death, the assassin, Big bad Ben, and the mad bomber just to name a few.
he became a good person and was always worth watching,
throwing downfield on 4th and 1.
7:01 striking resemblance to Howdy Doody
🤣🤣🤣
Look at a 1975 photo of Stabler, and then a 1980 photo. Whoah. Seems like 25 years compressed into 5.
Kenny cut his head getting during a wine-drinking binge in Guam. Pretty much painted the walls of the Hilton Hotel red. Sweet Home!
Loved Kenny stabler and loved the raiders of that era……who cares what he did off the field….didnt hurt anyone
Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch should have been in the HOF during their lifetimes but they and the Raiders were not well liked by the media. This is also the reason why players like Jack Tatum, Lester Hayes, Todd Christiansen and others are not in as well.
All I know is he brought the Raiders back from 4 touchdowns in a game I still can’t get over. His players caught everything he threw-the stadium was shaking the crowd never sat down!
His career quarterback rating was 75. Seventy five. He had almost 30 more interceptions than TDS. No wonder it took so long to get into the HOF.
Even if, that's not the reason he was kept out for so long. It was personal between the sports journalists who hated him for decades & held a grudge. They really did him dirty.
The coolest SOB in the NFL
i'll never get over the fact dan fouts got into hall of fame before stabler
Loved Stabbler & the Oakland Raiders team of that ara
I’m pleased Terry Bradshaw lobbied for his induction into the HOF. He knew how good Ken was. BTW - Stabler and Don Sutton pitched against one another when the two were in high school. Ken got the win that day, but commented, in his book, that Sutton was the superior picture.
The Snake is why I became a Raider fan and been one ever since. R4L
NFL, IS WOKE. NFL, IS NOW A JOKE.😊
I watched some films of Namath playing, and the brutal VERY late hits and complete disregard for QB safety was shocking..!!
Total hero material...the board in charge of Hall of Fame nominations should be in prison for there pathetic behavior! What a disgraceful group of ass-clown politicians:(
1:51 It's horrible to run out of money and horrible to run out of alcohol and even worse when they coincide.
Kenny Stabler was born to be a " Raider " RIP Mr Snake .
That raider nation stuff started in the 90s
As an Idaho kid, I had no home team allegiance so I gravitated to the most interesting, inspiring teams. The Rams of the 60s with the Fearsome Foursome and the "General" Roman Gabriel. When Snake became the Raiders starting quarterback with Madden as coach and the colorful misfits of the 70s, it was very easy to switch to them. I still get sick every time I see (or even think about) the *^%%# Immaculate Reception.
Stabler threw seven interceptions in a game against the Broncos in 1977. He is one of six players in NFL history to throw seven interceptions in a single game.
Stabler greatest Oakland Raider Rickey greatest Oakland A both born on ChristmasDay...NuffSaid
Maybe more about his off field activities (drinking, partying, womanizing) and his colorful/criminal teammates would capture his personality more. The passing stats don't tell his story... it was his toughness and performance in the clutch that separated him from his contemporaries. The Raiders of the 70s were degenerates, thugs and villains and he was the head of the snake.
Because they couldn't give him the glory when he was alive 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
That 75 Bronco game, Rob Lydle fumbled the ball on the 2 yard line and went into the end zone without the ball, I knew John Ralston and he even admitted it.
Rob Lytle was still in school at the University of Michigan in 1975.
I was today years old when I learned that the Continental Football League was even a thing.
I’ve been a raider fan since 1968. He was my favorite raider of all time. Jack Tatum was my second.
One of the smartest QB’s ever to play the game. He was extremely savvy.
That is messed up that it took so long to get him in the Hall of Fame....he was unbelievable!!
How old am I and how I knew almost every player in the 60's and 70's, in one picture was Otis Strunk. I knew 'em all as a kid growing up in the 60's.
Snake is One of the Reasons I became a Raiders Fan! Grew Up with the Patriots Albeit I am Still a Raider Fan!
Loved Kenny the Snake. And George Blanda. Both had flare for the dramatic. I do remember Daryl "the Mad Bomber" Lamonica, prior to both. According to Google....Elected to the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, Daryl has had a Clovis stadium named after him and has even been named to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Lamonica had a 70-21-6 career regular season and playoff record including a record of 43-7-1 prior to 1970. . His . 753 winning percentage would land him second behind Mahomes, Why not HOF?! Probably media hate of Al Davis
Didn't Blanda also kick extra points the last few seasons of his career?