More Than a Football Legend in Alabama, Kenny Stabler Was a State Treasure

For years, I hated Kenny Stabler.

That’s OK—a lot of people did. It’s what happens when you grow up a passionate sports fan, and everything boils down to rooting for your guys and everyone else being the “bad guys.”

That was “The Snake,” the man who introduced the concept of sports heartache to me at a very young age.

I should explain. I grew up in Minnesota. I’ve always joked that when I was born, my father said, “It’s a Vikings fan,” before he said, “It’s a boy.” We had season tickets to old Met Stadium. The house was a happy place when the home team won and nothing short of morose when it lost.

That was especially true on Jan. 9, 1977. I was the ripe age of eight years old, and the Vikings were finally going to win a Super Bowl.

Or so I mistakenly thought.

Minnesota did something almost unheard of that day against the Oakland Raiders—block a punt by Ray Guy, only running back Brent McClanahan’s subsequent lost fumble was a sign of things to come. The bad boys of the NFL then went to work. Tight end Dave Casper caught a touchdown pass from Stabler, wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff made a big-time 48-yard reception, and cornerback Willie Brown returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.

The bad guys weren’t supposed to win, but they did, 32-14.

Since I became a sports writer, I’ve thankfully had the opportunity to meet some of the athletes my father loved to root against.

For example, Bart Starr used to torture the Vikings with the Green Bay Packers, and former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson led the win against Minnesota the first time it reached the Super Bowl. They’re two of the nicest men I’ve had the pleasure to meet, sports figures or not.

Those quarterbacks also won three of the first four Super Bowls. (I honestly don’t remember what my dad thought of Joe Namath, but I think he liked him. He made sure I knew about Super Bowl III and the “Heidi” game.)

Stabler played 10 seasons for the Raiders (1970-79) and also briefly with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints, en route to 194 touchdown passes, 222 interceptions and 27,398 passing yards. His record as a starter was 94-49-1, and he was on the throwing end of some of the most exciting plays in NFL history, including “The Ghost to the Post,” “The Holy Roller” and “The Sea of Hands.” Named All-Pro three times, he was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1974, and both the Player of the Year and passing champion in 1976.

But his legacy was arguably even greater at Alabama, where he played behind Namath and, after taking over as the starting quarterback, led the 11-0 season of 1966 that didn’t result in the national championship. Pollsters instead rewarded Notre Dame for pulling off a tie at Michigan State, which remains a sore subject to many Crimson Tide fans.

There was also the “Run in the Mud,” a 47-yard touchdown that was the difference in a 7-3 victory against Auburn in the 1967 Iron Bowl.

He compiled a starting record of 28-3-2, including a dominating 34-7 victory against Nebraska in the 1967 Sugar Bowl to be named the game’s most valuable player. But, at times, Stabler gave Paul W. “Bear” Bryant fits as well, and the coach once said: “You just can’t tell about left-handed crapshooters and quarterbacks.” 

They still tell those stories in Tuscaloosa as well, about what a character Stabler was and his zest for life. 

I didn’t meet The Snake until moving to Alabama in 2004, but I would run into him on occasion when he served as an analyst on Crimson Tide radio broadcasts through the 2008 season. I never saw him turn down an autograph request or a quick word from anyone who just wanted to shake his hand.

Stabler was almost considered Alabama football royalty, and when he talked one, couldn't help but learn two things:

George Brich/Associated Press/Associated Press

1) Despite the things that got him into trouble, he had enormous charm.

2) Stabler truly loved the Crimson Tide.

“There is no way to describe the pride an Alabama player feels in himself and the tradition of the school,” Stabler said.

Stabler died Wednesday at the age of 69 from complications due to colon cancer. Fittingly, many people who regularly wear crimson will be in black to honor his memory because Stabler wasn’t just considered a legendary player but a state treasure.

He was born Christmas Day 1945 in Foley, Alabama, where he was a highly regarded high school player, and it was after a long, winding touchdown run that Coach Denzel Hollis first called him “Snake.” Over the years, he raised a lot of money for local charities and spent most of his final years in the Gulf Shores area.

Chances are Stabler will never be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, nor is he in the College Football Hall of Fame, but in many ways, those were secondary to being synonymous with the Crimson Tide and his home state. He was proud of both and always said so when approached by fans or by those of us who had grown up rooting for the other side.

I can say with certainly that had my dad met him, he would have liked The Snake.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer.

Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.