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

“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!

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.

“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 to bed before reading.” - Leigh Montville, author of Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero

“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, former New York Times columnist and author of Center Field

“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

“Richmond’s book is a treasure trove of uproarious anecdotes skillfully woven into a seasonal chronicle spiced with sharp player profiles. . . . This rollicking read reminds us that football is a game that’s meant to be played hard—and to be fun.” - Library Journal