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Tom Hanks sends typewritten letter to daughters of former Alabama QB great
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Who hates Tom Hanks?
If you don’t already take kindly to one the most likable international icons, maybe this will help.
Hanks took the time to write a heartfelt letter to daughters of legendary NFL quarterback — and Alabama great — Ken Stabler, who passed away on July 8 of this year.
Kendra Stabler Moyes sent a piece of memorabilia to Hanks after hearing he was a fan of her father’s. In return, Hanks used a typewriter to express exactly how much Stabler meant.
A full transcript of the letter is included below Kendra’s tweet.
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
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
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
