Hall of Fame finally will present Ken Stablerâs ring

Ken Stabler entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 7, 2016. On Sunday, his family finally will receive his Hall of Fame ring.

At halftime of the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Kendra Stabler Moyes, the quarterback’s eldest daughter, will be presented with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence.

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Stabler died on July 8, 2015, about seven months before he was chosen for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At the time, the Pro Football Hall of Fame did not present rings or gold jackets to inductees who were enshrined posthumously.

That policy changed in November, and Stabler’s case appeared to help spark the shift in policy.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame faced a torrent of criticism when the policy became widely known after Stabler’s induction, so much so that the Hall of Fame issued a statement in November 2016 about the policy.

At that time, the Hall of Fame said its Board of Trustees had reviewed the policy on posthumous inductees at the request of Stabler’s family in June 2016 and decided “a change to the long-standing policy was not warranted.”

“While the iconic bronzed busts are created to memorialize every member of the Hall of Fame,” the 2016 statement read, “the Hall of Fame Ring and Gold Jacket are items presented to living Hall of Fame members to be worn exclusively by them as evidence and pride of their having been elected to sport’s most elite fraternity.

“At no time in its 53-year history has the Hall of Fame presented either of these personal adornments posthumously or retroactively to a family member of a deceased Hall of Famer. The Hall of Fame believes, to the greatest extent possible, it should avoid creating or contributing to family disputes relative to ownership as well as the potential public sale or distribution of items intended for the exclusive use by a Hall of Famer.”

Raiders owner Mark Davis and Virginia Madden, the widow of John Madden, have been credited with prodding the Pro Football Hall of Fame into changing its policy on posthumous inductees.

Stabler played 10 seasons with the Raiders when the franchise was in Oakland and owned by Al Davis, Mark Davis’ father. John Madden, who was not a posthumous inductee, was the Raiders head coach for all but one of those seasons.

Stabler’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame came almost 32 years after his final game on Oct. 21, 1984. Before becoming a Super Bowl champion and the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 1974 season, Stabler starred at Foley High School and Alabama.

In addition to the ring presentation on Sunday night, Stabler’s gold jacket and bronzed bust from the Hall of Fame will be on display.

Stabler’s Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence is customized with a likeness of his bronzed bust. One side has “Quarterback” and “1970-1984″ (his years in the NFL) on it, and “Stabler,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo and “Class of 2016″ are on the other. Etched on the inside is 302, which is Stablers’ enshrinee number.

The change in policy means five other posthumous inductees will receive Pro Football Hall of Fame rings, including another former Alabama star. Linebacker Derrick Thomas was enshrined for his 11 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009. But Thomas died on Feb. 8, 2000.

Also on the list for rings are the families of Henry Jordan, Vince Lombardi, Sam Mills and Reggie White.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.