The year after Pittsburgh Steelers legend RB Franco Harris was honored with the retiring of his No. 32 jersey against Las Vegas, the Raiders intend to honor one of their legends in their game against Pittsburgh.
According to Levi Damien of Raiders Wire, the family of late Raiders QB Ken Stabler will receive his Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence at halftime of the team’s home opener in Week Three against the Steelers. Stabler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2016 after a 15-year NFL career in the league with the Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Houston Oilers. Stabler was a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro, winning the 1974 NFL MVP as well as winning one Super Bowl in the Silver and Black.
Stabler died in 2015 after battling colon cancer, passing away before his induction into football immortality. Sadly, Stabler’s family never received the iconic yellow jacket or the Ring of Excellence when inducted because of a rule the Pro Football Hall of Fame had in place to give those items to only living inductees.
This notably frustrated the Stabler family as Stabler passed away just a year before receiving the honor himself. However, the committee recently amended the rule, allowing the family to receive the Ring of Excellence against the Steelers on Sept. 24, just a year after Pittsburgh honored the late Harris by retiring his jersey while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
In the article, Stabler’s daughter Kendra took notice of the opponent, saying it’s “ironic” it’ll occur against the Steelers.
Kendra Stabler found out the news from team owner Mark Davis, who had been in contact with new Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter to make this event come to fruition.
For the Stabler family, this has been a long time coming, receiving the honor they thought their father deserved when he was initially inducted. For the Raiders, this creates a similar narrative that Pittsburgh rode with last year in their previous matchup, playing in the memory of one of their all-time great players as Pittsburgh travels to Sin City for the Raiders’ home opener.
