“Then and Now”
Kenny “Snake” Stabler
By JOEY WARNER

 

     Kenny Stabler is a man that established himself as an icon in the area community, the state of Alabama and around the entire country because of his ability to perform as a quarterback and a leader on the football field. 

    He also shared his talent and knowledge as a radio analyst for Alabama football games with Eli Gold for the last decade.

    Stabler is one of the best to ever play the game of football and the 62-year old has always had a special spirit for his alma mater. “ROLL TIDE.”

    The “Snake” has been there “Then” and he is still here “Now.”    

    

     On February 3, 1977, the Onlooker Newspaper in Foley, Alabama printed a dedication to one of its home grown sports heroes and titled the 16-page special “A Salute to Kenny Stabler.”  I am fortunate to have two copies of the publication in my collection of sports archives. 

     Just a few weeks earlier, Stabler led the Oakland Raiders to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. He was 12-for-19 for 180 yards and a TD in the victory as the Raiders finished with a 16-1 record.

     He led the Raiders to a 24-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game and scored a TD on a bootleg in the final seconds to secure a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots in the semi-final game.

    In the regular season, Stabler was the No. 1 passer in the NFL when he was 194-for 291 for 2,737 yards and 27 TDs. His 66.7 percent accuracy was the second best in history of the NFL.

     After the Super Bowl victory, he received more media coverage than popular political southerners George Wallace and Jimmy Carter.  He had been seen mingling around with Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore and Donny and Marie Osmond.

     Stabler took his ability to lead and perform as an All-American through the mentorship of coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama to the legendary John Madden with the Raiders.

     Stabler was presented the Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year Award on January 27, 1977 by the Washington, D. C. Touchdown Club.  He beat out Joe Morgan of the world champion Cincinnati Reds; female tennis star Chris Evert, rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers; Wimbledon and U. S. Open champion Jimmy Conners; Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson and Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds.

    

Stabler was a Hometown Hero

     Foley was so proud of Kenny for his accomplishments that the City Council adopted a resolution that named Stabler the Honorary Mayor of Foley for the calendar year in 1977.

     Born on Christmas Day in Foley in 1945, the southpaw became a highly touted football player in high school at Foley, earning the nickname "The Snake" from his coach after a long, winding touchdown run.   He ended with a career record of 29-1 record and his only loss was to Vigor in 1963.

      Ivan Jones, the former coach of Foley from 1955 to 1968, witnessed Stabler’s brilliance and excellence when he was a sophomore quarterback.  Jones believed Stabler liked baseball better than football but he encouraged him to play football.   He was an all-around athlete in high school, averaging more than 20 points per game in basketball and excelling enough as a left-handed pitcher in baseball to receive minor-league contract offers from the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.

     Stabler played with some talented athletes in high school that received scholarships.

Kenny Helton went to Tulane University and his brother Ronnie went to Troy State.  Teddy Gibson went to Auburn, Freddie Mickelson played at Louisiana State and Don Foster played for Georgia Tech.

     Stabler always felt that the people in Foley were sincerely appreciative of his accomplishments. He remembers his old stomping grounds and worked at J. P. Reynolds with lumber, pumped gas for several gas stations and picked potatoes.

     He said it was very possible he would retire in Foley because of the beaches, water sports and just because it is his hometown.

     Throughout the 1977 Onlooker tabloid, Baldwin County businesses placed advertisements in support of Stabler. Emmett Burnett, Ed Barfield and Nancy Rinks did an outstanding job with the content layout of the Stabler Tribute.  Raymond Fitzsimmons, Wilbur Willis and Foley high school also contributed.  Foley Mayor Arthur Holk led the parade of praise for the hometown star. Council members Dr. John Foster, James Wright, Luther Arant, Robert Thompson, Godbee Smith, Lillian Fell and Cecil Chason endorsed their support.  Moyer Ford, Krueger Radio & Appliance, Hess Marine, Goldkist of Summerdale, Big T Tastee Freeze, Coleman Marine, South Baldwin Bank, Foley Tractor Company,  Stacey’s Drugs, Kaiser’s Texaco, Owsley’s Lumber Company, Otasco, Sarah’s Shoppe, Arthur Holk and Son, Davis Department Store, Adrian Longcrier Builders, Baldwin County Electric Membership Corporation,  Foley Kiwanis Club and the Snook Foundation, Holk’s Office Supply, Reynolds Ace Hardware, Biggs Sporting Goods, Bear Point Marina, Jeans At Ease and Benson’s Appliance Center placed ads in support of “Snake.”

    

The Bear went Snake Hunting

     Stabler was recruited by the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama in 1964. Due to NCAA regulations at the time, freshmen were ineligible to play; therefore, Stabler would sit out during the 1964 season. In that season, the Crimson Tide won the National Championship with quarterback Joe Namath.

      In 1965, Stabler and Steve Sloan both played quarterback for Alabama following Namath's departure to the NFL. With the two splitting time at the position, the Crimson Tide won their second consecutive National Championship by defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 39–28 in the Orange Bowl.

      As a junior in 1966, he took over the quarterback position full-time. He led the team to an undefeated, 11–0 season which ended in 34–7 rout of Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl. Despite the unblemished record, the Tide was snubbed by the polls, finishing in third behind Notre Dame and Michigan State. 

      Expectations were high in Stabler's senior season, though those expectations would not be completely fulfilled. The offense often struggled, and the defense's performance slipped. During the season, Stabler was kicked off the team for cutting class and partying by Bryant, though was given a second chance. The Tide finished with an 8–2–1 record, including a loss to rivals Tennessee.

      Though the season was lackluster, Stabler would provide a memorable moment in the Iron Bowl. Trailing 3–0 in a game drenched by rain, Stabler scampered through the mud for a 47–yard, game-winning touchdown which gave the Tide a 7–3 victory over rivals Auburn at Legion Field. The play is commonly referred to as the "Run in the Mud"  by Alabama fans.

       Stabler finished with a record of 28-3-2 as a starter and was 192-for-320 for 2,414 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.

The man was a true Professional Quarterback

     Stabler played as mean as a “Snake” in Oakland, slithered through slippery oil in Houston and became a Saint in New Orleans before his fabulous 15-year NFL career on the football field finally ended.

     He was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 1968 and made his mark in the NFL in a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After entering the game in relief of Daryl Lamonica, he scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 31-yard scramble. The Steelers came back to win on a controversial, deflected pass from Terry Bradshaw to Franco Harris, remembered as The “Immaculate Reception.”

     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.

     Before leading the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory in 77’, he scored the winning touchdown on a surprise quarterback keeper in a narrow playoff victory over the New England Patriots. In the AFC Playoffs against the Baltimore Colts, he threw a crucial pass to Dave Casper in the fourth quarter that set up a game tying field goal that sent the game into overtime.

     Stabler led the Oakland Raiders to glory years under Coach Madden. In his ten years as a Raider, the southpaw thrower was named to the Pro Bowl five times from 1973 to 1977 and passed for more than 200 yards 36 times in league play.  While a Raider, he set a record of 143 attempts without an interception, completed 1,182 passes for a Raider record.

     After suffering several knee injuries, Stabler became less of 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.

     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. Ironically, 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.

     “Snake” passed for 27,938 yards, 194 touchdowns and had a 59.8 pass completion percentage in his NFL career.