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

The Oakland Raiders regular season record during Hall Of Fame coach John Madden's tenure (1969-1978) was 103 wins 32 losses and 7 ties. That was a better record than even the illustrious Vince Lombardi. When Madden took over they won seven division titles in the first eight seasons. "Between 1970 and 1977 they played in six AFC Championship games and won the Super Bowl to end the 1976 season." This wonderfully idiosyncratic look at the Raiders of those years include everything from the history of Hall Of Fame owner Al Davis to John Madden to all the lovable "BLACK AND SILVER" players... including many Hall Of Famers... and some who should definitely be in the Hall Of Fame also. The author, a Raider fan at least since his east coast college days, lovingly refers to the team known worldwide as *THE-SILVER-AND-BLACK" as the "BLACK AND SILVER"... over and over... and over again. And any fan can understand the author's individual nickname for them. For any fan who loves... and I mean loves... his favorite sports team... undoubtedly has some picayunish... unique... clever... at least in their own mind... nickname for their team. Some are born from superstition... some are born by a mispronouncement... or misunderstanding... or even a bolt of lightning. But any diehard fan... always has a unique personal nickname or phrase for their beloved team. One of the highlights... in a book overflowing with highlights... is the author spewing such an unrelenting, heartfelt love and adoration for his *BLACK AND SILVER* that any true football fan regardless of their favorite team can't help but share the joy of a football love that has no boundaries.

This is a book for any football aficionado. I have read... reviewed... and loved books on the Steelers... the Packers... da Bears... the Colts... the Saints... et al. you can check my prior reviews for proof. So for me to highly recommend a sports book, it absolutely does not have to be about my favorite team or player. Now, it so happens I'm a Raider fan, and in fact I am an original and continuous PSL season ticket holder since they returned to Oakland sixteen years ago... but that's not why I strongly recommend this book. All sports including football have changed (in my opinion) for the worse in the last forty years... so this book lets you travel back in time to share beers... brawls... wins... and losses... with probably the greatest collection of whacko's... brawlers... and believe it or not... highly educated band of outsiders in a team sport in modern times. The author has meticulously combined quotes from forty years ago... and included up to the minute interviews with many of the players and Coach Madden. The love and respect they have for each other after all these years is amazing. In fact the author states that not one single player interviewed all these years later had even one single negative thing to say about Madden. And everyone including Al Davis states that there was no other coach but Madden that could have possibly lead these castoffs and free thinkers to the heights of victory they accomplished.

There are so many great stories from their yearly pre-season training camps... that players looked so forward to... that most of them showed up days earlier than required. They loved football... and they loved the Raider family, which in training camp included bar hopping... drinking beer by the *PITCHER*... bowling tournaments, air hockey tournaments (with cheating allowed)... women... women... sneaking out after bed checks... Hall Of Famers showing up on the practice field riding a horse... streakers... and players like Hall Of Famers, Fred Biletnikoff, and Willie Brown (Just some of the eventual Raider Hall Of Famers.)... and should be Hall Of Famers, Ken "Snake" Stabler... Ray Guy... Cliff Branch... Jack Tatum... stayed hours after practice... to practice more... because one thing you'll learn in this book, is that sure... the Raiders of those days liked to party... but they loved to win... and simply loved the game of football even more than partying.

The backgrounds of all the important and not so important *SILVER-AND-BLACK" / "BLACK-AND-SILVER" players are covered so the reader gets a personal insight into how players known as *THE ASSASSIN*... *THE HIT MAN*... *DOCTOR DEATH*... *FOO*... *THE STORK*... *THE ROOSTER*... *THE GOVERNOR*... *THE TOOZ*... *BOOMER*... *THE GHOST*... and sooo many more... made the Raiders one of the greatest teams in history... and you'll fully understand when a player... even after being traded... says... "ONCE YOU'RE A RAIDER... YOU'RE A RAIDER FOR LIFE!"

**NOTE** Amazon's product description on this page is wrong. Madden's Raiders won SEVEN DIVISION TITLES NOT SIX AS AMAZON STATES!

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.

The main subject of this book is the Madden era Raiders.
I enjoyed the book for the information in it as well as the writing style.

Some of the most interesting information in the book was about Al Davis and how as a young man he studied war strategy, something he incorporated in his football game planning.
There was some background on how he became involved with the Raiders and ultimately gaining full control of the team.

The teams early history and origin in the A.F.L. was also some entertaining trivia.
The way that the team was built via drafts, trades, free agent signings back in that era. Another nugget was what precipitated the change on defense to a 3 - 4 alignment. And everyone remembers the vertical passing game, what gets lost is the smash-mouth ground game with heavy use of the fullbacks.

And as always with any book about the Oakland Raiders of that time frame; there are plenty of characters, parties, wild antics, and tragic losses before the Super Bowl victory. What the book brings out more than anything was the close bond of those teams. The racial harmony was a big part of that.
I'd be hard-pressed to find a better book on the Raiders from the 1970s.

Love them or hate them, the 1970's Oakland Raiders under John Madden were certainly an entertaining cast of misfits in the guise of one the best professional football teams of their era. Here, Peter Richmond tells the story of this cast of characters, and characters they were.

The distinctive personality of this team that set it apart from all others of the 1970's was the perception that this was a group of outlaws and rebels who thumbed their noses at convention. Add to this the fact many were castoffs from other teams for behavioral or other issues, and you had a truly volatile band of misfits. But somehow the affable John Madden, who was the perfect coach for this team, was able to take this group of irrepressible "adults" and mold them into a feared, championship football team. Having read this account of the 1970's Raiders, I almost liken John Madden to Santa Clause trapped on the island for misfit toys trying to using his magic to make them whole.

Many of the players on these teams are ones most football fans will remember in perpetuity. You had Jack "The Assassin" Tatum, Gene Atkinson, Skip "Dr. Death" Thomas, and Willie Brown, aka The Soul Patrol, one of the most feared set of defensive backs in the league who relished huge hits, clothesline tackles, and knocking their opponents out of games. They also had characters like quarterback Ken Stabler, the bad southern Alabama boy, carouser and partier extraordinaire, linebackers Phil Villapiano and Ted Hendricks, and the truly crazy John Matuszak, along with the rest of the team full of similar head cases, creating a volatile mix of testosterone, craziness, and child like desire to have fun, on the field and off.

This was a hard partying team and not an insignificant part of the book talks about Raiders' training camps that were part hard partying and hard practicing and all the pranks the players pulled while preparing for the season. It was a fun loving and wild group of men who John Madden somehow molded into winners. Partially he did it by letting them have their fun and treating them like men, but making sure that they practiced and played hard. While they might have been a wild, fun loving bunch, they also loved football and wanted to win.

This book is clearly told from an unabashed Oakland Raiders fan's perspective, which really worked well in this case. The author revels in the outlaw persona of this team, which went all the way up to the owner Al Davis, who also flouted convention and thumbed his nose at the powers that be in the National Football League.

And while they only won one Super Bowl in this era, a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI after the 1976 season, they were always in the mix. They built up a strong rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who the author draws a clear contrast with. Had they not had one of the greatest football teams of all time as their nemesis, the Oakland Raiders may have been the team of the 1970's.

The author starts the book with the "Immaculate Reception," one of the most famous plays in NFL history. With the Steelers desperately trying to stage a comeback in the 1972 playoffs against Oakland, down 7-6 with 22 seconds left in the game and hardly a prayer, Bradshaw threw a pass that careened off a receiver and was picked up off his shoe tops by running back Franco Harris who ran it in for the go ahead score. At that time, if an offensive player touched the ball while it was in the air, another offensive player could not catch it. Argument ensues to this day whether they ball bounced off "Frenchy" Fuqua, the Pittsburgh running back, or Jack Tatum, who nailed him just as the ball arrived.

The author marks this as the beginning of the rise the Oakland Raiders whose "rebel image, their defiant owner, had stamped them as an enemy of civilized football." He contrasts the "staid, old-world NFL Rooney's franchise" with the "rebels of Al Davis, a man who bowed to no higher power." He also throws words around like "benevolent" versus "demonic" and the "dark side." That was the Oakland Raiders image, and they came to revel in it.

While this book chronicles the Oakland Raider's seasons of the 1970's, it as much about the unusual character of the team as it is their exploits on the field. The author conducted extensive interviews with players from that era and has crafted a well done and very interesting read, really a must read for Oakland Raiders fans, but one that all football fans can enjoy. The only real drawback to the book is the author only had a very short and not very illuminating interview with Al Davis, who did seem very cooperative. But his perspective can be rather easily gleaned from his own actions and public pronouncements, so this has little impact on the completeness of this work.

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[[ASIN:0977038300 The Super '70s]] as companion reading.