Posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight, quarterback Ken Stabler was remembered as one of the most colorful characters in NFL history.
Stabler, who died on July 8, 2015, was remembered by his coach, John Madden, as a quarterback who elevated his game in the biggest moments.
“He could just step it up a notch when you needed it,” Madden said in a video presented at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Stabler’s NFL career is best remembered for his tenure with the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, a tenure that saw him named league MVP in 1974 and saw him lead the Raiders to the championship at Super Bowl XI. Stabler also played for the Houston Oilers in 1980 and 1981, and the New Orleans Saints from 1982 to 1984.
“If I had one quarterback to make a drive the length of the field at the end of a game to win that game, that guy would be Ken Stabler,” Madden said of Stabler after his death.
Stabler’s bust in Canton was presented by a group that included his two grandsons, who shed tears as they saw their grandfather immortalized in bronze. It was a fine ceremony for a fine quarterback. If only Stabler had lived to be a part of it.
