Ken Stabler, 69, Remembered For Leadership Skills, Guiding Raiders To Super Bowl Win

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A legend has passed for the Oakland Raiders.

Quarterback Kenny "The Snake" Stabler, who led the Raiders to a Super Bowl win in 1977, has died at the age of 69 after a short case of colon cancer.

His family says Stabler was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in February and opted to live out his remaining time quietly.

Greg Roeszler met Stabler in 1979 when Roeszler was a rookie quarterback.

"I just don't think there will be another Ken Stabler," he said. "Ken Stabler was such a leader and commanded such respect and an unbelievable athlete and a personality on top of all of that. so being a rookie quarterback I was just in awe of him."

He reflected on Stabler's final months.

"I think he battled that very very quietly and obviously in a dignified way and from what I understand he passed very peacefully," he said.

Upon hearing the news of Stabler's death, his former coach John Madden had nothing but praise for his former quarterback.

"I've often said, If I had one drive to win a game to this day, and I had a quarterback to pick, I would pick Kenny," Madden said in a statement.

Roeszler says Stabler was a legend.

"Kenny was a household name because the Raiders were a household word, and Kenny personified and lead the Raiders," he said. "And he did it his way; he did it with a swagger; he was such a leader of a team that you just loved or you hated."

Stabler's family released the following statement:

Family's Statement on the Passing of Ken Stabler

We announce with great sadness that our father, Ken Stabler, passed away Wednesday, July 8 as a result of complications associated with colon cancer.

He passed peacefully surrounded by the people he loved most, including his three daughters and longtime partner, as some of his favorite songs played in the background, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama. and Van Morrison's "Leaves Falling Down."

He quietly battled Stage 4 colon cancer since being diagnosed in February 2015.

He wanted to make a difference in the lives of others in both life and death. At his request, his brain and spinal cord were donated to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center to support research for degenerative brain disease in athletes.

He was a kind, generous and unselfish man, never turning down an autograph request or an opportunity to help someone in need. A great quarterback, he was an even greater father to his three girls and grandfather to his two "grand snakes."

We are grateful for the tremendous love and support from friends and fans. We ask that you please respect our privacy during this difficult time as we grieve this heartbreaking loss.

Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to the X0X0 Stabler Foundation to support research of colon cancer and sports-related head trauma. More information will be available on Ken Stabler's Facebook fan page and the X0X0 Stabler Foundation.

He is survived by his three daughters Kendra Stabler Moyes (husband, Scott), Alexa (fiance, Hunter Adams) and Marissa; his grandsons Jack and Justin Moyes; sister Carolyn Bishop; nephew Scott Bishop; and great nephew and niece Tayler and Payton Bishop. He is preceded in death by his father, Leroy Stabler, and mother, Sally Stabler.