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Snake: The Legendary Life of Ken Stabler Paperback – August 15, 2017

by Mike Freeman (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 407 ratings
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The first in-depth biography of one of the most talented and infamous legends to play in the National Football League—the life and times of pro football’s first bad boy, famed Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler.

Ken "The Snake" Stabler was the embodiment of the original Men in Black—the freewheeling, hard-hitting Oakland Raiders. The league’s first swashbuckling pass thrower, the mythical southpaw Southerner famous for come-from-behind drives late in the game, Stabler led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl championship in 1977. In an era dominated by gentleman quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Bob Griese, this 1974 NFL MVP, four-time Pro-bowler, and Super Bowl champion was an iconoclast who partied as hard as he played and lived life unapologetically on his own—not the NFL’s—terms.

Though Stabler’s legacy is larger-than-life, there has never before been an exclusive account of him, until now. Snake goes deep under the surface of Stabler’s persona to reveal a man who, despite his penchant for partying and debauchery, was committed to winning and being the best player he could be. From his college days playing for Bear Bryant at Alabama to his years with the Raiders under coach John Madden, his broadcasting career to his death in 2015 and the revelation that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as C.T.E., Snake probes the myriad facets of Stabler’s life on and off the field to tell his complete story, and explores how his legacy and the culture and times that pivotally shaped it, continues to impact football today.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dey Street Books
  4. Publication date
    August 15, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.61 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062484265
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062484260
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Previous Praise for Mike Freeman “Mike Freeman is one of the nation’s best sports writers, and he proves it once again here.” — Jef Pearlman, author of Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton and

From the Back Cover

He was a giant among men, a symbol of a different era in sports . . .

The NFL in the 1970s was a ruthless league, rife with concussions, broken bones, unmatched egos, and frequent racial strife. In the midst of this madness, commanding the Oakland Raiders (perhaps the baddest team of them all) was quarterback Ken Stabler—aka Snake—an unassuming and lethal threat as a player. On the field, he was cool and con-fident, but off of it he was a legendary woman chaser and babe magnet, carrying a larger-than-life persona at odds with the performance-drenched focus that characterized the rest of the NFL. Yet the Stabler that would eventually emerge was more than a playboy. No quarterback was tougher or more uniquely talented; his accuracy, particularly with deep throws, was as good as any quarterback’s the league had ever seen; he’d won 100 games faster than any quarterback in history, as well as a Super Bowl, and most of all, he helped redefine the Raiders from losers to champions.

In Snake, Bleacher Report columnist Mike Freeman details Stabler’s childhood in racially segregated Alabama, his emergence as a rare high school talent, his raucous college days under the legendary Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama, and his famed career as a quarterback for the Raiders and, later, the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. Freeman expands his story by offering a rare, personal look at Stabler after his football days—including his warm affection as a husband, father, and grandfather—and even describes how Stabler’s death, and subsequent Hall of Fame induction, paved the way for greater CTE awareness, as a 2016 autopsy revealed Stabler had been suffering from the disease.

This work examines the complete Stabler portrait: the good, the bad, and the unbelievable. Poignant, blunt, and eye-opening, Snake is a towering biography about a man who forever left his mark on football, the quarterback who studied his playbook by the light of a jukebox.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dey Street Books; Reprint edition (August 15, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062484265
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062484260
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.61 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 407 ratings

About the author

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Mike Freeman

Mike Freeman

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As a writer for 25 years (follow him on Twitter @mikefreemanNFL) for nationally respected media outlets, Mike Freeman is grateful to those who paved the way for him to follow his passion. But enough about his dream of becoming an astronaut or lead Trekker …

From Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser to Bill Rhoden, Jackie MacMullan, Jeff Pearlman and others, Freeman is inspired to write stories that you won’t find anywhere else. “My goal is to always keep it real,” he said.

Freeman, to date, has written or contributed to 10 books, his most recent being "Football’s Fearless Activists: How Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, Kenny Stills, and Fellow Athletes Stood Up to the NFL and President Trump." Freeman believes the players who protest(ed) are heroes, and their stories should never be forgotten.

Freeman is a national award winner whose accolades include a Library Journal “This Season’s Football Picks” (2016) for the book he wrote with former Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask, "You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in the National Football League."

In 2005 he became one of a handful of writers to have at least three nominations in the Associated Press Sports Editor’s writing contest with three in the top 10. He won the Florida Sports Writers Association Shelby Strother Award for that year’s outstanding sports journalist in the state’s largest circulation category the same year. His book "Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Rough-and-Tumble World of the NFL" was named a New York Times notable book in 2003.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Freeman attended the University of Maryland University College from where he received his undergraduate degree, and went on to earn a master’s from Goucher College. Freeman’s earlier work as a sports reporter included Bleacher Report, CBSSports.com, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Florida Times Union.

A certified private pilot, Freeman’s childhood professional goals were, shall we say, out of this world. He wanted to be an astronaut. Or captain of a starship.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
407 global ratings
SNAKE
4 Stars
SNAKE
First off, the reviewer Grynne has to reread this book. The author makes no reference to the Raiders playing the Dolphins in a Super Bowl. Three times these games were mentioned and they were a divisional playoff, an AFC Conference championship and a season game in December. I think this reviewer needs to fact check himself.Now, the book was easy to read and follow. Was it Shakespearean? No. Basically, it's for fans of all ages. Yes, it's a bit fluff. What's the point in being overly critical? Snake passed on. It's fun and has some interesting stories.
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Top reviews from the United States

Ken
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
I liked the read. Good history of the life of Stabler. He to me was one of the great. I really enjoyed the book.
I wished now I would have gotten the hard copy rather then the paper back.
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BabyFaceFinster
5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2023
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If you want a giant belly laugh, read this. Ken Stabler and The Raiders were one of a kind!
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C. Baker
4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Biography of Ken Stabler
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a different kind of biography. The author says part of the idea of writing the book was show a different side of Ken Stabler than the womanizing, heavy drinking, partying Stabler of his youth through his NFL playing career. He wanted to show the side of Ken Stabler that genuinely care about people, including his teammates, his kids, and even his ex-wives.

So we have three sides of Ken Stabler.

First, the rebellious, woman loving (in many ways), and partier Ken Stabler of his youth through his football career. Stabler was not only upfront about his partying ways, he kind of bragged about it. And he embraced the bad boy image of the Oakland Raiders. It is hard for me to believe that Bear Bryant had two of the most iconic rebel rousing athletes of their day at the University of Alabama in both Joe Namath followed by Ken Stabler. Both got into deep trouble with Bear Bryant because of their wayward ways and eventually rehabilitated themselves with him. Also interesting, both love the Bear and it seems the Bear deeply cared about them too. Stabler continued his fun loving ways with the Raiders, having a lot of fun along the way.

Second, there is the athlete Ken Stabler. In some ways that goes hand in hand with the rebelliousness as an average athlete probably just doesn’t get away what Stabler did in college and the pros. He was obviously and outstanding athlete who eventually won a Super Bowl ring and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here the author makes a strong case for Stabler as a Hall of Famer. Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? He was certainly a great leader on the football field and the right one for the Raiders. I think he does belong partly because you couldn’t think of the NFL in the 1970’s without Stabler. He was a gunslinger and he won a Super Bowl. But, he also had a woeful number of interceptions. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of of .87. But his statistics easily stack up against other Hall of Fame quarterbacks of his error. Terry Bradshaw, who’s career almost parallels Stabler’s, had statistics that closely mirror that of Stabler and Stabler has a better career passer rating than Bradshaw. So yes, he belongs.

Third there is the empathic Ken Stabler who cared for his teammates, his family, his kids and his friends. He was, by all accounts, a great father to his kids even after his divorces and even more so after he retired from football and had more time with them. He stood up for his teammates and while it might sound odd now, was colorblind. He exhibited traits, even at the University of Alabama, where he treated all equally regardless of race. And in his later years he chilled out and relaxed with family and his grandkids.

Stabler had a grand life and this biography does him justice.
10 people found this helpful
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Michael K
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Father, grandfather, and QB of the century
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book deserves a 5 star rating because like other "look at me" athletes are all about show and that's all you see. This book covers everything from college football at Alabama, to partying to NFL, to more partying and collecting women like game balls and none if it is sugar coated. You wanna Snake, read this book and you'll damn near know him like a teammate without actually collecting a laundromat full of women's undergarments with him!! Snake taught teammates, children, family, coaches, and Raider fans, you can have fun playing the game by being who you are and not listen to all your critics. And at the same time, he was one of the most charitable men of his time with most his efforts going to kids charities. And even in Snakes death, he was still teaching by bringing further attention to CTE and it being a real thing and may have helped prolong some teammates lives. It's still true that the worst part of a snake is it's bite but his bite was a pass downfield because the sting the defense felt afterwards.
2 people found this helpful
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C. Campbell
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a great read but still interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
I waited a while for this book when I read I found it to be average. In Ken's autobiography he said Isabel was his first wife and Debby was his second. I find it interesting that he didn't mention his kids in his book and Freeman mentions it often in the new one. Miami never played Oakland in a super bowl as they are in the same conference and he just glanced over his Houston and new Orleans days and I found the book at points repetitive and dull. Stabler was a heck of a competitor and a great leader. What he did in his personal life was his business

I give three stars to this. Freeman skipped through to many parts to make it complete
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for football fans. Required reading for Raider fans
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great book! Freeman, with wonderful contributions from the Stabler family, gives football fans an excellent and insightful portrait of one of the most underrated players in NFL history. Kenny Stabler is often forgotten when we think about great quarterbacks. Mike Freeman explains why that is a big mistake. Stabler wasn't just a great quarterback-he exemplified a style of play and passion for the game that we often don't see anymore.

For football fans, this is a great book. For Raider fans, this is a must-read. It's right up there with Peter Richmond's "Badasses".

Go buy this book.
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doubledpawn
5.0 out of 5 stars Snake
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
A very in depth view into the multi faceted life of Ken Stabler contains both the good times and tough times. This book was very interesting, well written and comprehensive in looking into Stabler’s life and putting it all together in this excellent biography.
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Top reviews from other countries

Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Ok
Reviewed in Italy on April 19, 2022
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Ok
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TeeCee 3
5.0 out of 5 stars The One and Only Snake
Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
I remember and admired "Snake" from his great playing days with the Raiders.
Knowing the story of his life, through his eyes, makes one appreciate him even more.
I recall a quote from some interview where, when asked about spending a warm day/summer,
he explained it would be with Wickedly Wonderful Wanda on board "Boogie" his boat.
One person found this helpful
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michelle gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2017
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Fab!
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NEIL JACOB
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
Nice book
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NEIL JACOB
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2021
Nice book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in Canada on November 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Love the original version by Snake
New version by daughter is toned down.
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