Goodbye Kenny Stabler, QB for the Oakland Raiders, who showed how cool it was to be cool under pressure. Go deep, baby. Hanx.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) July 10, 2015
Former NFL MVP Ken Stabler passed away in July, and among the many people paying their respects to the NFL legend was actor Tom Hanks, who was a Raider fan watching Stabler while he went to high school in Oakland.
Hearing that Hanks was a big fan, Stabler’s daughter Kendra Stabler Moyes sent Hanks some memorabilia of her dad. Most people may have returned that gracious act with a phone call or maybe even an email thanking her, but not Tom Hanks. Hanks went all out, opting instead to write Stabler Moyes a letter on his typewriter, showing his appreciation for the gift and her father’s legacy.
It's not every day you get a letter from Tom Hanks. What a stud! So cool of him to reach out. #respect #throwdeep pic.twitter.com/o9E3r0TJjw
— Kendra Stabler (@StablerKendra) December 28, 2015
The note reads:
Dear Kendra and Alexa,
Beyond the heroics on the field, and, say, a Super Bowl victory, why a young fan takes to any one football player is a mystery. A personal attraction.
In Oakland, the capitol of Raider Nation, the years I was a kid there we had everyone from the Black Panthers, the Hell’s Angels, the Zodiac Killer, and Charley O. Finley. And, we had the Raiders …
Your father, with his left-handedness and those two bad knees, displayed a permanent smile of bemusement that said — win or lose — “ain’t this fun?” I really did see in him the honor to be be found in playing the game, of using one’s God given talent, of taking pleasure in the effort.
That Ken Stabler came from the likes of Alabama yet played right there in my home town helped me understand the variety found in the USA. Using a pair of pliars to change the channel on my busted up kids TV (it had a few knobs missing) I would tune in San Diego to see your Dad play, or Shea Stadium to see him take on the Jets — learning that if you were good enough you could do your thing wherever you wanted.
I’m honored to wear the fine bit of Stablerwear you sent along and will continue to offer up to anyone who comes my way, and maybe just asks how I ended up where I am, that you just have to throw deep, baby …
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks continues to be the best.
(Via SBNation)
