I’m too young to have ever watched Kenny Stabler play. Fortunately, he’s the kind of guy who has his own unique brand of folklore. Anyone who lived through the Stabler era has a favorite story to share, and they all sound like a line out of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Most fall somewhere between “tall-tale” and “country legend” on the believability scale. Historic embellishment notwithstanding, Ken Stabler lived unquestionably large. Known for studying his playbook by the light of a nightclub jukebox, Stabler was a skirt-chasing, rabble-rousing hellion off the field, and a calm, collected leader between the lines- a rare duality in the world of sports. “The Snake” was drafted in the second round by the Oakland Raiders in 1968- a more perfect marriage there never was.

Injury and personal struggles threatened to cut the honeymoon short, however. In the spring of 1970, Stabler found himself begging coach John Madden for one last chance to prove himself. Fortunately for all, Stabler would impress and stick as the starting quarterback of the 1970’s Raiders- arguably the biggest, baddest, dirtiest team of misfits and outlaws ever assembled. Though they would only win one Super Bowl, the Raiders would leave a trail of wreckage behind them wherever they went.

“Just stay in the fast lane, and keep moving,” Stabler wrote in his autobiography, Snake. “You cannot predict your final day, so go hard for the good times while you can.”