Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders – The Definitive 1970s Tough-Guy Football Biography

The Oakland Raiders and the 1970s were tailor-made for each other. It was a time when professional sports (aside from golf) were considered blue collar forms of entertainment ... especially the NFL. The Raiders (like the Steelers and Eagles) personified a blue collar town with their aggressive style of play, production and lack of flamboyancy. The 1970s is an era when many of the fans that filled their stadiums may have been as tough as the players on the field. It was the last gasp of "old school "football where injured players kept playing and the ailment known as "turf toe" had yet to be defined. The only Nike logo in sight might have been on a few pairs of cleats; there was no internet and no fantasy football. Looking back, the Raiders were an icon of that blue collar era of football. One of the lasting images of Monday Night Football was the intro and its close up of Willie Brown's face, with his helmet bouncing around, as he returns an interception for a touchdown. His face is pure Raider - a determined, almost angered look. Peter Richmond hits a grand slam with his book that details the inception, construction and coronation of the most successful Raider team ever: that hodge-podge collection of thugs, animals and boozers that comprised the winners of Super Bowl XI. Not only does Richmond deliver the history and juicy details of the team, his book serves as a time machine that takes the reader back to a long lost period where the business side of the sport took a backseat to the game itself. One does not necessarily have to be a fan of the Oakland Raiders to appreciate this book as Richmond's work should prove to be an interest to a wide range of readers. Fans of sports, history, business and human interest stories should be able to appreciate this book. As someone with a nostalgic interest of growing up in the 1970s, I particularly enjoyed the time warp aspect of this book because it brings back memories of trading football cards, as my collection of cards included many of the players highlighted in this book (and the Raider players always seemed to look more menacing on those cards). Another personal benefit is that it reminded me of the only NFL game I've ever seen live ... the December 24, 1977 playoff game at Baltimore where the Raiders won in double over-time with Dave Casper's Hall-of-Fame worthy performance. Although the 1977 team isn't the focus of the book, the residual talent of the previous season's Super Bowl winning squad was quite evident the following season. Richmond starts with a chapter that served as the ashes from which the eventual Super Bowl champion team was born ... the 1972 controversial "Immaculate Reception" playoff game vs. the Steelers that spawned a heated rivalry between the 1970s two most dominant AFC teams. Richmond presents this as the catalyst that spurred owner Al Davis to buy, deal, inherit and assemble the parts of a championship team of players and coaches. With the seeds of the dream firmly planted by the controversial results of that playoff game, Richmond takes us back the inception of the Raider franchise and how a shrewd and business-savvy Davis finagled ultimate control of the Raiders. Paralleling Davis' ascent is the progression of John Madden's coaching progression that eventually leads to the helm of a talent loaded Raider team with a history of regular season success and playoff failures. With the general framework of coaches and core talent in place, Richmond dissects the guts of team, by taking us into the locker room, on the practice field and out into the decadent Oakland nightlife that occupied so much of the Raider player's time once practice ended. Individual chapters introduce us to groups of men that comprise elements of the team from linemen to defensive backs. Richmond spends a great deal of the book detailing the men, their personalities and the exploits both on and off the field that often generated colorful nicknames like: Foo, Rooster, Dr. Death and Snake. The most amazing aspect is that such an odd band of divergent personalities with virtually no rules could bond so well, work so hard and function totally as a team on a mission. The author successfully corals a majority of the 1976 Raider ensemble to contribute to his book with personal reflections, hilarious stories and affirmation of the bond the men had with each other and their beloved Coach Madden. Even the elusive punter Ray Guy contributes! The details provided in these particular chapters present an addictive reading element as we feel we are actually witnessing these events, both on and off the field. The book culminates in recapping a successful 13-1 regular season record and a post-season run to the Super Bowl that includes yet another rumble with rival and current Super Bowl champion Steelers. Super Bowl XI is deemed "the Promised Land" and although it was a snoozer of a game (and I remember it as being the first Super Bowl I watched in entirety as a kid), the book captures the energy, excitement, drive and ultimate confidence that Raider team displayed in overpowering the Minnesota Vikings. The game itself may have been unexciting, but the build-up leading to the victory and the euphoria experienced by the players is ever-present. Peter Richmond took me back to my first real memories of enjoying pro football as a kid. The manner in which he presents this particular group of men is both entertaining and endearing. Additionally, Richmond's book may be considered a throwing-of-the-gauntlet by arguably presenting the 1976 Oakland Raider team as one of the best teams in NFL history. Although I'm not a Raider fan, after reading "Badasses", I might actually agree with him.

I've been a Raiders fan since 1964, the good majority of my life, and bought this book primarily because of that. I was surprised by how good a book it was in its own right. About a quarter of the way through I realized this would make an enjoyable read for any true football aficionado. I say that because whether the author intended it or not this book really explains what made John Madden's Raiders unique in football history and why there will probably never be another team like it. Here was a collection of people that really loved to play football; loved to tackle and be tackeled. Have you ever had a job that you loved to come to every day? If so, then you realize that's the most incredible experience to have. To get paid for doing something you'd enjoy doing anyway. Madden's Raiders were that. But only Madden could bring those people together without dampening their enthusiasm and this, more than anything else, explains what made that team so unusual and unique. John Rauch couldn't do it (Madden's predecessor) nor could Tom Flores (his successor). I always knew they were special but never understood exactly why until reading this book. It wasn't the winning (for that you could/should back the Steelers, Cowboys, or Dolphins). It had to be something else and it was -- these guys just loved to hit and loved to do things their way. At times I think the book goes overboard on documenting the team's partying because, I guess, that's what sells books. But I think what makes the book special is the other aspects to the team's history. The John Madden era Raiders were truly a family; even Al Davis laments the inability to ever again create that kind of atmosphere for his team (Al's own discription of the Raiders in L.A. vs. 1968-1978 Oakland is very telling in that respect). The discriptions of the selflessness of the players is really something that stands out and I can't see happening in today's me-first incentive-laden contract environment. If you love the Raiders, this one's a no-brainer but even if you only remember the team as different than the rest of the NFL and are curious as to why then I recommend this book as something you will enjoy reading.

What a fun walk down nostalgia lane. This book tells the story of the Oakland Raiders football team during the 1970s under the leadership of coach John Madden and quarterback Ken Stabler. The Oakland teams of that era won one Super Bowl, were always in championship contention and maintained a storied rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders were a fun-loving group of guys who partied hardy after practice but always showed up on Sunday ready to play. Richmond uses the Raiders' sense of fun and family to contrast the pro football of the 1970s with the modern game of the 21st century, where end zone dances celebrate "me" and corporate rigidity has replaced the joy that use to mark the pro game. The book provides a series a excellent portraits of some of the key Raider players, Coach Madden and the legendary owner Al Davis. As someone who has written about sports in an earlier era (Hoop Crazy: College Basketball in the 1950s), I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sports history or anyone who remembers the badass Oakland Raiders of years ago.

The cover of Badasses states; "one of the best football. books ever written". That is a pretty high compliment and while I haven't read them all I've read a few and this is one of the best football books I have read in a long time. As a kid in the 70's I watched a lot of Raider games on TV and have memories of many of the players mentioned in this book.Peter Richmond gives biographical sketches of many of the Raiders from the 70's and it makes for great reading. The characters on the Raider teams and how John Madden was able to coach them successfully makes for entertaining reading. Richmond laments the old days of football and the Raiders of the 70's who won it all in 1977. If you are a Raider fan naturally you will love this book, if you are a football fan and remember these teams and players ,you just might start rooting for them and look differently at the Silver and Black. Great book.

Badasses by Peter Richmond takes you inside the Oakland Raiders of the 70's and it will not disappoint. The author covers the people who made the Raiders tick---John Madden, Al Davis, Jack Tatum, George Atkinson, Gene Upshaw and the rest. Find out what is was like to be part of a winning tradition during this time of pro football and some surprises along the way. From the hard practices, to the heated rivalry with the Steelers, to the antics of the partying players. This book covers all angles to make it a good over-all book that even a non-Raider fan like myself could enjoy. At the end of the book, the author makes some valid points that has confirmed my feeling about pro football over the years. The aura of true, wildly gleeful Badass football?? No traces remain on the pro football landscape. It's still the game of football, but it's not Badass football, and it never will be again, bacause of free agency and the high-stakes bucks and the star-making machinery have conspired to make it impossible to produce a team that plays for the pure, unadulterated joy of it, a team that can coalesce into a brotherly force whose sum is so much grander than its individual parts. Rosters are overfull of Raymond Chester's "independent contractors". They play for themselves, and their own individual fame, and the incomprehensible and illogical wealth that it brings them, as they change uniforms from year to year, as they enjoy the fruits of the curse that ended the innocence of professional football. I believe most teams of the 70's had that inner drive that the Raiders had. They may not all have been "Badasses" or the success of the Raiders, but at least you had respect for them. Growing up during the 70's was a special time for me and for following pro football which is why we should cherish the memories and teams from this era. Would also recommend The Super '70s as companion reading.

I am a football fan, though not a Raiders fan. However, anyone that was a fan of football in the 70's knows about the Raiders. I wanted to read about some of their exploits on and off the field and this book gives a good accounting. It is enjoyable, if the facts of some of the Pittsburgh games are more pro Raiders than actual fact (when the Raiders beat them, they beat up on a very injured Pittsburgh team, and no I am not a Pittsburgh fan either). However, I did enjoy the book and recommend it to all fans of football to get an understanding of football in the 70's as well as Raiders fans to relive some glory, and the building of one of the great teams of that era. I liked many of the training camp activities and I think you will as well. Tks.

"Badasses" is a book that makes me wish I had lived through the 1970's NFL. Growing up in the Bay Area, the Raiders left Oakland when I was 9....As a result of my age and the Raider move to LA, I never got to see many of these classic players play. This book is brillant for it's discription of the era, the personalities and the classic games of the 1970's. If you love football, if you love crazy players and characters, "Badasses" is a fun read, a great trip back to a time when the NFL was a little more fun and a little wilder than what we see today

THE SILVER AND BLACK WAS QUITE A COLORFUL TEAM. THEY WERE A GREAT COLLECTION OF CASTOFFS, CHARACTERS, ADDICTS AND DRUNKS. ON SUNDAYS THEY WERE MY FAVORITE TEAM. AFTER THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION GAME, I BECAME A RAIDER FAN. ALWAYS HAVING A GREAT DEFENSE THEY FINALLY FOUND A BALANCED OFFENSE UNDER THE SNAKE. THIS BOOK BRINGS BACK ALL THE GREAT AND DISAPPOINTING GAMES THEY PLAYED. THEIR RIVALRY WITH PISSBURG WAS ONE OF THE BEST OF ALL TIME. THIS BOOK BRINGS ALL THESE GREAT PLAYERS BACK FOR SOME GREAT INTERVIEWS AND FANTASTIC PHOTOS. THE RAIDERS FELT PAIN, FRUSTRATION AND ANGER IN SEVERAL AFC PLAYOFF GAMES COMING AWAY EMPTY. IN 1976 THE RAIDERS PUT IT ON THE STEELERS. BRADSHAW RAN FOR HIS LIFE. FINALLY AGAINST THE NORSEMEN, RAIDERS WERE WORLD CHAMPIONS. IF YOU ARE A FOOTBALL FAN OR A RAIDERS FAN THIS IS A GREAT READ. JOHN MADDEN AND COMPANY AT THEIR GREATEST HOUR.

Ok, for a start, i am NOT a fan of the Raiders in any way,shape or form, I root for their hated rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. However, this book has an enormous amount of appeal for any real football fan, and especially those who can connect with the throwback players of the 70's. Sure, this book is a passage into the inner sanctum of what was once the NFL ( and AFL's) storied franchises, but it is full of wonderful little locker room stories and secrets that really do leave you with no doubt those badass maverick Raiders of that era were REAL football players with REAL personalities...a million times removed from the spoilt brats and prima donnas of today's NFL who probably wouldn't last for a microsecond around the badasses. The book is incredibly well written, flows beautifully and it's biggest disappointment for me was that eventually it ends! It goes without saying that this is essential reading for Raider fans to gain a grounding of their great history ( I say it goes without saying, but remember, we are talking about Raider fans, here) and feel proud of what was once an incredible sports franchise. You owe Al Davis big time. To the rest of us curious football fans needing a fix in the off-season / lousy season, I really do urge you to give this terrific book a shot...it is so warming to hear of an era when players played the game in the spirit it was intended, had persona and values and above all...were total Badasses. Any modern NFL player reading it would probably feel embarrassed that they are nothing like the REAL men who pioneered the NFL, be they Steelers, Dolphins,Raiders or Cowboys. On a personal level, I'd rather watch the game these throwback heros played than to watch today's modern crybabies play for literally , millions of dollars per GAME. This book a great read and enjoy it...it is a lot of fun! (and thats coming form someone who never compliments anything to do with the Raiders!)

Great stories.

Bought as present for a Raiders fan. He loved it.

Well written and inciteful into an era that will likely never happen again

An amazing book not only for Raider fans but for vintage football historians. Before "the bling" and the "Me", there were teams built on friendship and commitment.