Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders

by Peter Richmond

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061834318
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/11/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	60,328
Product dimensions:	7.98(w) x 5.36(h) x 0.95(d)

About the Author

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.

What People are Saying About This

Jeff Pearlman

“Once upon a time, there lived a band of larger-than-life misfits who lorded over the NFL. Dirtbags! Castoffs! Has-beens! Deviants! You name ‘em, John Madden’s Raiders had ‘em. And, thanks to Richmond’s tireless reporting and vibrant prose, so does Badasses.”

Leigh Montville

“No NFL team ever strutted any better on the dark side than the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s. In Badasses, Peter Richmond chronicles the treacheries, debauchery, and yes, the winning, with appropriate literary gusto. Lock the doors, close the windows, send the kids tobed before reading.”

Robert Lipsyte

“I always thought the Raiders were bad, but I never realized how bad — and how good - until I read Peter Richmond’s smart, funny, rowdy tale.”

Editorial Reviews

No NFL team ever strutted any better on the dark side than the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s. In Badasses, Peter Richmond chronicles the treacheries, debauchery, and yes, the winning, with appropriate literary gusto. Lock the doors, close the windows, send the kids tobed before reading.

Leigh Montville

I always thought the Raiders were bad, but I never realized how bad — and how good - until I read Peter Richmond’s smart, funny, rowdy tale.

Robert Lipsyte

Once upon a time, there lived a band of larger-than-life misfits who lorded over the NFL. Dirtbags! Castoffs! Has-beens! Deviants! You name ‘em, John Madden’s Raiders had ‘em. And, thanks to Richmond’s tireless reporting and vibrant prose, so does Badasses.

Jeff Pearlman

The 1970s Oakland Raiders were a team of distinct personality and talent. Known for rough and rowdy behavior on and off the field, the players were a tight-knit band of brothers who welcomed misfits dropped from other teams. Iconoclastic behavior was venerated in Oakland and personified by aggressive owner Al Davis and outsized, vivacious coach John Madden. The Raiders forged a close bond with their fans by going to five straight AFC championships in the decade, reaching the Super Bowl once to bury the Vikings in 1976. Drawing heavily on interviews with Raiders Phil Villapiano, Pete Banaszak, Ken Stabler, and George Atkinson, sports journalist Richmond's book is a treasure trove of uproarious anecdotes skillfully woven into a seasonal chronicle spiced with sharp player profiles. These wild characters, none of whom turned up on police blotters, were a focused bunch whose considerable intelligence was greatly underrated. Richmond concedes that the 1980s Raiders won two Super Bowls under coach Tom Flores but insists those Raiders were not the same lovable "badasses" that he celebrates here. This rollicking read reminds us that football is a game that's meant to be played hard—and to be fun.

Library Journal