Ken Stabler

Kenny "The Snake" Stabler is a former American football quarterback who played quarterback at the University of Alabama and for the Oakland Raiders under coach John Madden (1970-1984). He is left-handed, and at the time of his pro career left-handed quarterbacks were looked on as being unsuitable for professional football, with a variety of semi-credible excuses being given for this view. One such was that the spin on passes would be the reverse of "normal", resulting in problems for receivers.

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Born on Christmas Day 1945 in Foley, Alabama, the left-handed Stabler became a highly touted football player in high school, earning the nickname "The Snake" from his coach after a long, winding touchdown run. He was recruited by Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant and joined the team in 1964. In 1965 he led Alabama to a national championship. He finished his career with the Crimson Tide in 1967, having compiled a 28-3-2 record as a starter. He was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 1968. 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. In 1977 he guided the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory. In 1980 he joined the Houston Oilers for two seasons and then finished his NFL career with a three-year stint with the New Orleans Saints.

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He currently provides color commentary alongside Eli Gold for broadcasts of Alabama football.

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As of Sept. 2005, he has not been elected to the NFL Hall of Fame despite his achievements. The distinction of being the first left-handed quarterback in the Hall therefore went to Steve Young in 2005.

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Quarterback: The quarterback is a position in the offensive backfield of American and Canadian football, directly behind players of the "line". He is generally the leader of the offensive team when it is on the field, responsible for initiating play by receiving the snap of the ball from the center....

Oakland Raiders: The Oakland Raiders are a National Football League team based in Oakland, California. The team was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger....

John Madden: There are a number of noted individuals named John Madden:...

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