In 1977, Ken Stabler became the first left-handed quarterback to prevail in the Super Bowl. He had a 12-of-19 passing performance for 180 yards as the Oakland Raiders handily trounced the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in the Super Bowl.
Stabler, who went by the moniker "The Snake," embodied the toughman persona of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s. He played for the Oakland Raiders for ten years, four of which were postseason campaigns. After the 1976 campaign, the team won the Super Bowl title.
Stabler, a left-handed quarterback from Alabama with long hair who symbolized the rebellious Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, was one of the few players with a free-spirited personality. He guided the Raiders to their inaugural Super Bowl victory two years after being named the NFL's MVP in 1974. In 1984, he retired from the league after 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
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He retired as the Raiders' all-time leader in terms of completions (1,486), passing yards (19,078) and TD passes. Stabler reached 100 victories in just 150 outings. Since then, only three players have surpassed that total. It took Tom Brady until 2016 to break Stabler's record of five successive trips to conference title games.
Stabler won the NFL MVP award, won the Super Bowl, was named Offensive Player of the Year and made the first team of the All-Pros. He also won the Bert Bell Award, made the second team of the All-Pros, played in four Pro Bowls, led the league in passing touchdowns twice, completion percentage twice and passer rating once.
At 69, Stabler passed away from colon cancer on July 8, 2015. His illness was identified only five months earlier.
Why are left-handed QBs so rare in NFL?
Being left-handed has several challenges. Schools used to make kids use their right hand exclusively when writing because they thought using the left hand was bad.
There haven't been many left-handed QBs for a variety of reasons. Because the projection of the ball rotates differently when tossed by a southpaw, some receivers have more difficulty catching the ball. Most offensive lines and strategies are constructed to safeguard a lefty's front side instead of his blind spot.
The way lefties approach the position has a mirrored component. For instance, they frequently move out to the left and find it harder to pass to the right side of the field.
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