Badasses

by Richmond, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780061834318
• ISBN10: 0061834319
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-10-11
• Publisher: Harpercollins

Summary

They were the NFL's ultimate outlaws, black-clad iconoclasts who, with a peculiar mix of machismo and brotherhood, of postgrad degrees and firearms, merrily defied pro football corporatism. The Oakland Raiders of the 1970s were some of the most outrageous, beloved, and violent football teams ever to play the game. In this rollicking biography, Peter Richmond tells the story of Oakland's wrecking crew of psychos, oddballs, and geniuses who won six division titles and a Super Bowl under the brilliant leadership of coach John Madden and owner Al Davis. Richmond goes inside the locker room and onto the field with Ken Stabler, Willie Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, George Atkinson, Phil Villapiano, and the rest of this band of brothers who made the Raiders legendary. Funny, raunchy, and inspiring, Badasses celebrates the '70s Raiders as the last teams to play professional football the way it was meant to be played: down and very, very dirty. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Peter Richmond is the author of four other books, including The Glory Game (with Frank Gifford). His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, and GQ. He lives with his wife in Dutchess County, New York. www.PeterRichmond.com

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Roots, Rebels, and Rites
The Immaculate Deception	p. 3
The Early Years	p. 24
"I Thought We Were Better Than the World"	p. 30
Al Davis Ascends	p. 41
John Madden: "One of the Guys"	p. 61
"Be on Time, Pay Attention, and Play Like Hell"	p. 72
Summer Camp	p. 82
Fun and Games	p. 102
The Oakland Circuit	p. 118
Badass Football
Guy, Foo, and Freddy: Building the Foundation	p. 131
The Snake	p. 156
Hubbard, Uppy, and the Saga of 1973	p. 175
The Soul Patrol	p. 189
The Sea of Hands	p. 212
The Ice Bowl: Coming Up Short Again	p. 230
The Tooz Arrives	p. 264
Reaching the Promised Land	p. 295
"I Felt as Confident as I've Ever Felt"	p. 308
The Game	p. 321
Epilogue	p. 337
Acknowledgments	p. 355
Selected Sources	p. 357
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