No QB did drama like Ken Stabler, so why so long before Hall call?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 gets inducted on Saturday. Shutdown Corner will profile the eight new Hall of Famers, looking at each of their careers and their impact on the game.
Ken Stabler
Oakland Raiders 1970-1979
Houston Oilers 1980-1981
New Orleans Saints 1982-1984
Quarterback
Greatest Moment
Is it possible to list only one?
Stabler’s crowning moment was his Super Bowl championship in 1977, which came on the back of a season in which he led the league in passing and won the Bert Bell Award as the NFL’s player of the year.
But there are two famous plays that, together, sum up who Stabler was. The first was the “Ghost to the Post,” Stabler’s 42-yard pass to Dave Casper that allowed the Raiders to send a 1977 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts into overtime. Stabler then won the game with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Casper in double overtime.
There’s also the famous “Holy Roller” play — known to some as the “Immaculate Deception.” Down 20-14 to the Chargers with 10 seconds remaining, Stabler’s Raiders needed a touchdown. “The Snake,” as he was so accurately nicknamed, found himself surrounded by three rushers and getting thrown to the ground. He subsequently flipped the ball forward, the first of two blatantly intentional forward fumbles. The second was recovered by the Raiders in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown.
Impact on the game
Stabler was part-man, part-living legend before he died in 2015. His off-field lifestyle coupled with his on-field heroics made for a unique persona. He kept fans on the edge of their seats when he was leading fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but also when he was partying during the offseason — or on Saturday nights before games. “The monotony of camp was so oppressive,” he wrote in his autobiography, “that without the diversions of whiskey and women, those of us who were wired for activity and no more than six hours sleep a night might have gone berserk.”
His football legacy is as the figurehead of the 1970s Raiders, a role his personality perfectly suited. In his first playoff game in 1972, Stabler came in as a backup and scrambled for a 30-yard touchdown with 1:13 remaining to give Oakland a 7-6 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers (Yep, that’s the forgotten part of the Immaculate Reception game). That set the stage for six unforgettable years. He won playoff games in five straight seasons, often with heroics. Stabler wasn’t the most talented quarterback, but he carved out quite the spot for himself in NFL lore.
Case against his bust in Canton
Stabler didn’t have the numbers nor the longevity. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns — 222 compared to 194 — and had a sub-60-percent career completion rate. He had an outstanding run in Oakland with a legendary coach and one of the best collections of offensive weapons the game has ever seen; but once that run came to an end in the form of a trade, Stabler’s career kind of fizzled out, while Oakland kept going. The Raiders won two of the next four Super Bowls without him.
Stabler was kept out of the Hall for so many years because he didn’t make the most of what he had. Teammates “couldn’t respect” his lack of effort. Casper, the recipient of so many Stabler passes, said that when Stabler would receive his weekly gameplan, “he probably takes it and throws it in the waste basket.” The perception was that Stabler fell into a great situation, and was merely a cog in the Raiders’ machine rather than its engine.
Case for his bust in Canton
Sports, in the end, are entertainment. Football is the most entertaining of them all. And you could argue that its history hasn’t included a single player more entertaining than Stabler. The flamboyant Alabama native brought joy, amusement and astonishment to so many in and outside of the game. The endless string of memories is immortal for those who were witnesses. It seems only right that the Hall of Fame cement its immortality for all.
Memorable quote
“I started my life third-and-long. I skipped practices. I got kicked off my high school team. I got kicked off my college team. I’ve had third-and-15 my whole life. Everybody’s had rocky moments from Day 1. But sometimes you pick up third-and-long, and that’s where you make your money. That’s where the satisfaction comes, from the game and from life.”
–Ken Stabler to author Peter Richmond
