Ken Stabler
The left-handed quarterback with a cannon arm and a taste for nightlife who embodied the Raiders' swagger and will to win.
1945–2015 (age 70)·American football player·Birthday: December 25·The Silent Generation
Biography
Ken Stabler, 'The Snake,' was football's ultimate riverboat gambler. At the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, he was a star, but his true home became the Oakland Raiders, a franchise that mirrored his own rebellious, hard-living charisma. Stabler didn't just run a play; he conducted it with a cool, almost languid precision, famous for his last-second, game-winning drives. His 1974 season was a masterpiece, earning him MVP honors. In Super Bowl XI, he dissected the Minnesota Vikings defense, delivering the Raiders their first championship. His style was pure Raiders: brilliant, unorthodox, and unfiltered, both on the field and off. His posthumous Hall of Fame induction in 2016 was a long-overdue recognition of a quarterback who played the game entirely on his own terms.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Ken was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ken Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Ken's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Led the Oakland Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XI, earning the franchise its first championship.
- Named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1974 after a season where he threw 26 touchdown passes.
- Selected to four Pro Bowls (1973, 1974, 1976, 1977) during his decade as the Raiders' starting quarterback.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Snake' originated from a high school football coach after a long, winding touchdown run.
Stabler threw the famous 'Holy Roller' pass in a 1978 game against the San Diego Chargers, a controversial play that led to a rule change.
He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1974 and a second-team selection in 1976.
“We take chances. We're not a conservative football team. We're going to throw the ball down the field.”
