"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, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys
In the vein of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won! comes this rollicking biography of one of the most outrageous and incredibly talented teams ever to play the game--the toughest of the tough-guys--the 1970s Oakland Raiders
A book that explores the enduring legends of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders, Badasses is the definitive biography of arguably the last team to play old-fashioned tough-guy football. Peter Richmond, co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Glory Game, offers a fascinating look at the 1970s Oakland Raiders, led by colorful greats from another era: Ken Stabler, Willie Brown, Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto, Art Shell, head coach John Madden, and owner Al Davis. Badasses chronicles the bar-room exploits, practice-field pranks, and Super Bowl glories of the team's many misfits, cast-offs, psychos, and geniuses of the game. Funny, raunchy, and inspiring, it's a must read for any football fan!