Former University of Alabama quarterback and Oakland Raiders great Kenny Stabler died at the age of 69 on Wednesday in Gulfport, Miss., as a result of complications associated with colon cancer, his family confirmed in a statement released through UA on Thursday.

"He passed peacefully surrounded by the people he loved most, including his three daughters and longtime partner, as some of his favorite songs played in the background, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Van Morrison's 'Leaves Falling Down,'" according to the statement.

Stabler was diagnosed with Stage-4 colon cancer in February 2015, according to the family.

Stabler is remembered as a hard-charging, left-handed quarterback with a knack for running the football. His game-winning touchdown against Auburn in the 1967 Iron Bowl, known as the "Run in the Mud," is legendary among Crimson Tide fans.

A native of Foley, where he played for Foley High School, Stabler played three seasons for Alabama (1965-67) for legendary coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant. After college he went on to a successful 15-year NFL career after being selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Raiders in 1977 and was a four-time Pro-Bowler. He also played with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints at the end of his playing career.

UA Director of Athletics Bill Battle wrapped up his collegiate career just prior to Stabler's arrival in Tuscaloosa. Battle said Stabler had a way of making anyone feel at ease.

"While there have been many outstanding players in our great football history at Alabama, I think it´s safe to say that few - if any - connected with our fans in the way that Kenny did," Battle said in a statement. He´s one of the few quarterbacks to win a national title in college and a Super Bowl in the pros in a career that ranks among the best of anyone to play the game.

"He was an Alabama man through and through. The thoughts and prayers of all of us in the Alabama Family are with Kenny, his family, and all who knew and loved him."

UA coach Nick Saban was around Stabler for one season while Stabler served as the color commentator for Alabama radio broadcasts.

"I have had the chance to be around some of the best to ever play college and pro football, and Kenny may have been one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game," Saban said.

It was in that radio work in which many younger Alabama fans remember Stabler. In that role he brought an Alabama flare to each and every game. Before becoming a broadcast color analyst with the UA football radio network, Stabler worked on television for CBS, TBS and TNT in various roles.

Chris Stewart, play-by-play announcer for UA men's basketball and a sideline reporter for football, worked with Stabler and admired him for years.

"He had a style, no doubt, but it was really just Kenny being Kenny," Stewart said. "The amazing thing to witness was watching him watching a game. The way he could see things unfold, oftentimes before the quarterback saw it.

"The times I got to work with him at Alabama, traveling with him was like being with a rock star. People you'd consider to be celebrities were so excited to be around him. One time he interviewed Jeff Gordon, the NASCAR driver, and before Gordon said anything he said, 'It's such a honor to talk to you, Snake. I feel like a little kid again. Celebrity after celebrity, they were just fans when they were in his presence.'"

That personality and ability to make everyone feel comfortable helped him on the football field, too.

Ray Perkins played with Stabler and later went on to coach at UA and in the NFL. He said Stabler was a fun-loving guy most of all.

"You're not going to find anybody that played with, alongside or behind him that doesn't have anything positive to say about Kenny Stabler," Perkins said. "Most of all he loved the game of football, and is one of the best football players of all time. He has to go down as one of the best quarterbacks.

"I'm just sorry he hasn't been inducted into Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

Jackie Sherill, who also played with Stabler, said the first thing he thinks of when he remembers Stabler is his nickname, "Snake."

"That goes back to describing his running ability, like a snake" Sherrill said. "He was that live-life-to-the-fullest (guy) and had a lot of fun. Kenny had the ability to make people laugh, he could make people comfortable around him."

Steve Bowman, a letterman at fullback from 1963-65, remembers Stabler's sheer athletic ability.

"The thing that pops in my head is his prowess in sports, how good he was, what a good teammate he was," Bowman said. "You have to be a good leader if you're going to be a good quarterback, and Kenny just had a way of connecting with people. I know he received a lot of press for the things he did off the field, but believe you me there wasn't a guy in that locker room that wouldn't lay it all on the line for Kenny Stabler."

He is survived by his three daughters - Kendra Stabler Moyes (husband, Scott), Alexa (fiancé, Hunter Adams) and Marissa - as well as grandsons Jack and Justin Moyes, sister Carolyn Bishop, nephew Scott Bishop, and great nephew and niece Tayler and Payton Bishop. He is preceded in death by his father, Leroy Stabler, and mother, Sally Stabler.

Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the XOXO Stabler Foundation to support research of colon cancer and sports-related head trauma. More information will be available on Ken Stabler's Facebook fan page and through the XOXO Stabler Foundation.

Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.