There were no Raiders legends among the new class of to take the stage at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio today to accept enshrinement, there is great news for the family of the greatest quarterback to ever don Silver & Black.
The family of Ken Stabler will soon receive the Hall of Fame ring they have long deserved.
For some back story, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has long given out their Ring of Excellence as part of induction along with the iconic yellow blazer. The caveat was those items were only given to *living* inductees.
While the rule never made a whole lot of sense, for those like the Stabler family, it was all the more frustrating and hurtful considering Ken should have been inducted long before, but was denied his rightful place until the Senior Committee voted him in, and only after he has passed away of cancer at the age of 69.
Recently the Pro Football Hall of Fame finally changed that rule, at least with regard to the Ring of Excellence, and made it retroactive. This means all family who were once denied the ring, will now receive them.
The family of Stabler’s long time receiver Cliff Branch — who they also strung along until after he had passed away to induct him — was the first to receive the Ring of Excellence. They received it at last year’s season finale.
And now, Ken’s daughter Kendra Stabler has revealed to me that she will be receiving the ring at the Raiders home opener on September 24.
“Mark Davis called me before the season ended last year to tell me the good news that the Hall changed their policy regarding posthumously inducted players getting a Hall of Fame ring,” said Kendra. “Mark Davis & Virginia Madden were instrumental in making this happen and the new President of the Hall of Fame, Jim Porter.”
Kendra also noted that the ceremony will happen “ironically against the Steelers”. I don’t think the opponent in this game is meant to be ironic so much as with an expressed purpose.
You see, last season, the Steelers held their 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception during their game against the Raiders in Pittsburgh. Now, it appears the Raiders are returning the favor.
Stabler scored the go-ahead touchdown that put the Steelers within one completion of losing and it was only Franco Harris digging out the deflected pass that reversed their fate.
It was also Stabler who would ultimately lead the Raiders past the Steelers to a 24-7 AFC Championship win and go on to beat the Vikings and hoist the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history and earn Stabler his only Super Bowl ring. The win over the Steelers meant so much to Al Davis, he had the 24-7 score engraved on the Raiders’ Super Bowl ring.
