CSN Bay Area

Legendary Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the institution announced on Wednesday.

Stabler and offensive lineman Dick Stanfel were nominated by the senior committee, which virtually guarantees enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There are some exceptions, but senior nominees are typically confirmed by the voters.

The honor is posthumous, coming roughly a month after Stabler died from complications of colon cancer. His death created a swell of support for his enshrinement, and likely led to this nomination.

[REWIND: Raiders legend Ken Stabler passes away]

Stabler’s death came as a great shock to Raider Nation and the NFL community as a whole because his illness was unknown to most outside his immediate family. Stabler was a gunslinger by trade, a character who played an entertaining brand of football.

Stabler went 69-26-1 over 10 seasons with the Raiders from 1970-1979. He was named league MVP in 1974 and won a Super Bowl championship in 1976. He was voted to the All-decade team for the 1970s.

Stanfel, a San Francisco native and a University of San Francisco graduate, has been nominated by the senior committee twice before without being confirmed. Stanfel, who played for Detroit and Washington, died in June.

Stanfel coached the University of California offensive line in 1963 and was a 49ers offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1971-75