Ken Stabler dead at 69

[zachhoran1]

The former Oakland Raiders QB and later broadcaster died of colon cancer yesterday at age 69, as per nfl.com. Yes, he did appear on Hollywood Squares in the late 70s a few times

[SpacemanSpiff]

He was the QB at 'Bama when I saw my first college football game (1965, vs Tennessee at Legion Field in Birmingham). I found the program in my dad's attic when I was cleaning it out after he died. (BTW - the game ended up 7-7 when Stabler was driving the team down the field in the last minute, and threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, seeing that the scoreboard had it as third down -- except the official down marker had it as fourth down. Dad, among others, was quite upset.)

I also recall that, in the 70s when he had his beard, he would occasionally shave it. This was usually when he had gone back to Tuscaloosa for some function and didn't want Coach "Bear" Bryant to see him with it.

Reading from a statement from his family, he has donated his brain and spinal cord to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center for research on degenerative brain disease in athletes.

[Bob78164]

I remember some of his classic games. I'm pretty sure I watched on TV the game when the Raiders ended the Dolphins' record winning streak, and I'm almost certain I saw the Immaculate Deception. I did watch the Immaculate Reception on TV. --Bob