THE SPORTS LEGENDS ON SPORTS’
MOST PRESTIGOUS SHORT LIST.
Meet the 26 winners of the original The Hickok Belt™ Award.
Past Hickok Belt Award winners were truly a select fraternity. It’s a list that reads like a Who’s Who of twentieth century American sports. The award celebrated the pinnacle, of the Hall of Fame careers of such icons as Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Jim Brown, Mickey Mantle, Joe Namath and Arnold Palmer. An impressive list to be sure, but no more impressive than each winner’s individual stories— simply click here to learn more about each of them.
Ken Stabler (1976)
A self-acknowledged football renegade, Stabler fit in well as quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, who, under owner Al Davis, had always traveled to the beat of a different drummer. After succeeding Joe Namath as Alabama’s quarterback, Stabler was selected in the second round of the 1968 draft, but didn’t make his mark until nearly pulling out a 1972 playoff victory against Pittsburgh on a thirty-yard scramble for a touchdown. That game won him the job, and during the next seven seasons, the Raiders were among the league’s elite, winning it all in 1976 with a dominating 32-14 victory against Minnesota. Nicknamed “The Snake,” Stabler was AFC Offensive Player of the Year and led the league in passing efficiency. Since his retirement in 1986, Stabler has worked as a commentator on NFL telecasts and Alabama football broadcasts. He was born in Foley, Alabama, on December 25, 1945.
Pitoniak, Scott, Jewel of the Sports World: The Story of the Hickok Belt Award, Rochester New York: RIT Press, Copyright © 2010