Ken Stabler

Did You Know?

• Stabler was drafted to play baseball by the New York Yankees in 1966, the New York Mets in 1967, and the Houston Astros in 1968.
• He earned his nickname "Snake" from his high school coach following a long, winding touchdown run.
• Stabler was the fastest to win 100 games as a starting quarterback, doing so in 150 games.

College career

Stabler was recruited by head coach Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama. As a freshman in 1964, he was on the freshman team while the Crimson Tide won the National Championship but lost the Orange Bowl to Texas. In 1965, he backed up Steve Sloan as Alabama won a second consecutive National Championship and defeated Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. As a junior in 1966, Stabler became the starting quarterback, leading the team to an undefeated 11–0 season and a Sugar Bowl win over Nebraska; however, Alabama finished third in the polls. His senior season in 1967 saw struggles; Bryant briefly kicked Stabler off the team for cutting class and partying. The Tide finished 8–2–1, including a loss to Tennessee. In the Iron Bowl, Stabler ran 47 yards through mud for a game-winning touchdown against Auburn, a play known as the "Run in the Mud."

Professional career

Stabler was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. He signed a two-year contract in March 1968 but underwent knee surgery and spent the 1968 season on injured reserve. He played two games for the Spokane Shockers of the Continental Football League before being recalled. After briefly leaving the Raiders in 1969, he returned for training camp in 1970.

He made his first regular season appearance in 1970. In a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he entered in relief and scored a go-ahead touchdown on a 30-yard scramble, but the Steelers won on the Immaculate Reception. Stabler became the starter in 1973 after Daryle Lamonica failed to lead an offensive touchdown in the first three games, helping the Raiders to a 9–4–1 record and an AFC championship game appearance. In 1974, he agreed to join the World Football League's Birmingham Americans starting in 1976, but the WFL folded in 1975 and Stabler never played in it.

After football

After retiring as a player, Stabler worked as a color commentator on CBS NFL telecasts and later on radio with Eli Gold for Alabama football games, leaving before the 2008 season. He chaired the XOXO Stabler Foundation, a nonprofit supporting charitable causes. His celebrity golf tournaments in Point Clear, Alabama raised nearly $600,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Mobile. He appeared on a Saturday Night Live skit for a fictional product called the "Lung Brush." Professional wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts adopted his nickname as a tribute to Stabler. Stabler is featured on the "NFL Legends" team in NFL Street and appears in All-Pro Football 2K8.

Personal life

Ken Stabler was married three times: to Isabel Clarke (1968–1973), Debbie Fitzsimmons (1975–1978), and Rose Molly Burch (1984–2009). He had three daughters: Kendra Stabler Moyes, Alexa Stabler-Adams, and Marissa Leigh Stabler. In 2017, Alexa Stabler-Adams became a certified sports agent through the NFLPA. On the field, Stabler was known for his cool, cerebral style, but off it he was legendary for partying.

In his 1986 autobiography, he wrote that training camp’s monotony drove players like him to whiskey and women, and he recalled teammates with guns and one bailed out of jail wearing only cowboy boots and a Super Bowl ring. He died of colon cancer on July 8, 2015, at age 69, diagnosed that February. In February 2016, Boston University researchers found high Stage 3 CTE in his brain. He is one of at least 345 NFL players diagnosed posthumously with CTE. He was buried in Pine Rest Cemetery in Foley, Alabama.