Tom Hanks wrote a letter to Kenny Stabler’s daughter that is typewritten poetry

Tom Hanks is legitimately one of the coolest dudes on the planet. Earlier this year, Knicks fans chanted his name in Madison Square Garden. Before that he was an honorary member of the USWNT. But perhaps the coolest thing he’s done is take the time to write a heartfelt letter to Kenny Stabler’s daughter

Kendra Stabler Moyes heard that Hanks was a fan of her father’s, so she sent a piece of memorabilia to him. It would be easy to assume you wouldn’t get a reply or maybe a casual “thank you,” but Hanks sat down at his typewriter and used his typewriter stationary to tell Kendra just how much her father meant to him.

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 [sic] 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

In the months since Stabler’s death we’re hearing more and more stories about what an incredible man he was and how many lives he shaped. The Snake lives on forever, and Hanks will help raise that awareness even further.