It’s almost impossible to talk about Oakland football without bringing up the name of the consummate Raider, Tom Flores. Legendary for both his skills on the field and his coaching guidance from the sideline, Flores has been an integral part of the Raiders organization since its inception in 1960. Now Flores shares the greatest stories and anecdotes from his time with the team in the newly updated edition of Tales from the Oakland Raiders Sideline. Flores relives the heart-stopping thrills and adrenaline-surging passion of Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII, and provides behind-the-scenes humor from greats such as former coach and owner Al Davis and coach Eddie Erdelatz. Flores also shares tales of other Raiders greats such as Billy Cannon, Jim Otto, John Matuszak, Bo Jackson, and more. Without a doubt this is a must-have for any Raiders fan.
A behind-the-scenes perspective on Raiders history, from Oakland to Vegas Having spent eight seasons at offensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders before joining the radio broadcasting team, Lincoln Kennedy knows what it means to live and breathe Silver and Black football. In If These Walls Could Talk: Raiders, Kennedy provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can, from his experience anchoring the O-line in Super Bowl XXXVII to the current roster in Vegas helmed by Derek Carr, from Jon Gruden to...Jon Gruden.Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Kennedy can tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Raiders history.
From the legends of the game to today’s superstars, get to know the players who have made the Las Vegas Raiders one of the NFL's top teams through the years. This book includes a table of contents, a timeline, team facts, additional resources links, a glossary, and an index. This Press Box Books title is aligned to a reading level of grade 3 and an interest level of grades 2–4.
It’s difficult to imagine today—when the Super Bowl has virtually become a national holiday and the National Football League is the country’s dominant sports entity—but pro football was once a ramshackle afterthought on the margins of the American sports landscape. In the span of a single generation in postwar America, the game charted an extraordinary rise in popularity, becoming a smartly managed, keenly marketed sports entertainment colossus whose action is ideally suited to television and whose sensibilities perfectly fit the modern age. America’s Game traces pro football’s grand transformation, from the World War II years, when the NFL was fighting for its very existence, to the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when labor disputes and off-field scandals shook the game to its core, and up to the sport’s present-day preeminence. A thoroughly entertaining account of the entire universe of professional football, from locker room to boardroom, from playing field to press box, this is an essential book for any fan of America’s favorite sport.
Straight from the mouths of the legends of the Silver and Black, Cheating Is Encouraged recapitulates the many as infamous stories from the last team to play “outlaw” football. Regardless of whether you loved or hated them, the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s were an amusing cast of outlaws, misfits, and anomalies that made up one of the greatest pro football teams of their era. The Raiders’ roster consisted of a collection of mavericks and rebels, some with behavioral issues, such as John “Tooz” Matuszak and Lyle Alzado, as well as castoffs like the aging George Blanda and the sandlot player Otis Sistrunk, who were passed over or disregarded by other NFL teams. To say that this group of outlaws had “attitude” would be a gross understatement. They were the Oakland Raiders, the Silver and Black, and Al Davis’s dream of “Just win, baby.” Gridiron characters (such as the Snake, Foo, the Assassin, the Hit Man, Dr. Death, and many others) chronicle the notorious on- and off-the-field exploits, away-game adventures, and the party-hard attitudes that are reflected in the team’s intimidating and glorified mix of renegades. Cheating Is Encouraged defines an era that can only be considered the last days of “real football played by real men.” Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
The Princess of Darkness. Former NFL team executive Amy Trask has held many titles during her career &– including chief executive, analyst, and author &– but this nickname is what she is first and foremost known by to Raiders fans. Trask joined the Raiders as an intern during law school after the team moved from Oakland to Los Angeles &– the position the result of a cold call she made to the team. From there, she worked her way up through the ranks of the organization, to the post she would eventually hold as chief executive. Along the way, Trask worked extremely closely with the late Al Davis, a man who treated her and others on his team without regard to gender, race, and age. Trask may have been the highest-ranking female executive in the NFL during her tenure with the Raiders, but in You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in the National Football League, she shares how she found success by operating without regard to gender. Replete with insider tales about being part of the Raiders' front office, behind the closed doors of NFL owners meetings, and Davis himself, Trask's book is a must-read not only for football fans, but anyone who wants to succeed in business.
Hell with the Lid Off looks at the ferocious five-year war waged by Pittsburgh and Oakland for NFL supremacy during the turbulent seventies.?The roots of their rivalry dated back to the 1972 playoff game in Pittsburgh that ended with the "Immaculate Reception," Franco Harris's stunning touchdown that led the Steelers to a win over the Raiders in their first postseason meeting.?That famous game ignited a fiery rivalry for NFL supremacy.?Between 1972 and 1977, the Steelers and the Raiders--between them boasting an incredible twenty-six Pro Football Hall of Famers--collided in the playoffs five straight seasons and in the AFC title game three consecutive years. Both teams favored force over finesse and had players whose forte was intimidation.?Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense featured Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Mel Blount, the latter's heavy hits forcing an NFL rule in his name.?The Raiders countered with "The Assassin," Jack Tatum, Skip Thomas (aka "Dr. Death"), George Atkinson, and Willie Brown in their memorable secondary.?Each of their championships crowned the eventual Super Bowl winner, and their bloodcurdling encounters became so violent and vicious that they transcended the NFL and had to be settled in a U.S. district court.? With its account of classic games, legendary owners, coaches, and players with larger-than-life personalities, Hell with the Lid Off is a story of turbulent football and one of the game's best-known rivalries.
The Green Bay Packers are one of the most successful teams in the NFL, with 13 world championships and four Super Bowl wins. Authors Wayne Larrivee and Rob Reischel through interviews with current and past players, provide fans with a one-of-a-kind, insider's look into the great moments, the lowlights, and everything in between. Readers will hear from players, coaches, and personnel as they discuss their moments of greatness as well as their defeats, making for a keepsake no fan will want to miss.
This updated edition in the best-selling “Tales from the Sidelines” series captures the memorable moments, colorful characters, outstanding players, and championship seasons that are part of the Broncos’ storied history. Beginning with the franchise’s origins as a charter member of the American Football League in 1960, Andrew Mason takes the reader on a journey that includes a decade of Bronco futility, the AFL-NFL merger, and the team’s first-ever playoff appearance in 1977, when they went all the way to the Super Bowl. Since then, the Denver Broncos have become one of the NFL’s most consistent and successful franchises, with just six losing seasons in the last thirty-seven years. Mason mines the team’s rich history for stories that are revealing, moving, and often hilarious. Examples from the first ten years are “the worst uniforms ever,” the arrival of Lou Saban and Floyd Little, and the story of “Marlin the Magician.” The 70s brought John Ralston, the 3-4 Orange Crush defense, the Miracle of ’77, and wild man Lyle Alzado. John Elway took the Broncos through the 80s and 90s, “The Drive,” five Super Bowls, two championships, and “the greatest walk off ever.” Fans are treated to the “ups, downs, and frowns” of Jay Cutler, the second coming of Peyton Manning, two more Super Bowls, one more championship, and the dominance of Von Miller. “Mile High Football” is alive and well in Denver, but it wasn’t always that way. In this newly revised edition of Tales from the Denver Broncos Sideline, Andrew Mason gives readers the stories of the low points that tested Broncos fans’ allegiance, the incredible highs that followed, and everything in between.
