Raiders Forever: Stars of the NFL's Most Colorful Team Recall Their Glory Days [Paperback]

John Lombardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

The Oakland Raiders of the late 1960s-1970s were a colorful team built by the myth of the antihero, a group defined by misfits, outlaws, and castoffs. But talent and hard work were also part of their success, and they became the only team in NFL history to have 16 consecutive winning seasons. This is a tribute to those Raiders and their inimitable style, when John Madden prowled the sidelines, Ken Stabler threw the touchdowns, and owner Al Davis helped fuel the team's mystique.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Lombardo covers the NFL for Sports Business Weekly. He also has written for the Washington Business Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0658000632
• ISBN-13: 978-0658000638
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insights, February 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Raiders Forever: Stars of the NFL's Most Colorful Team Recall Their Glory Days (Paperback)

This is a book that truly captures the spirit of The Oakland Raiders of the 1970's. Best of all you come away with a deeper sense of the personalities and what made the team so unique. It is not just a "remember when" book, but rather a behind the scenes look at why the Raiders where the most compelling team of the 70's. It's well written, full of detail and should be interesting to any football fan.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Trip to the Glory of the Raiders, October 27, 2000

By 

M. Beduya (Foothill Ranch, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raiders Forever: Stars of the NFL's Most Colorful Team Recall Their Glory Days (Paperback)

What I enjoyed the most about this book is what it offers for different Raider fans in all walks of life. If you are a hardcore Raider fan, then you will find it interesting in how deep the author goes into each old time players' history to get to the very soul of each individual player. If you are a newer fan, then it gives you a look into Raider tradition and pride. If you are a peripheral fan, or a football fan overall, then it gives you an excellent look into the life of a football player.

If you ever wondered what is Ray Guy doing now? or how does Art Shell feel about the Raiders? or how does John Madden recall his coaching days? then you will find a plethora of information that makes this book hard to put down. I know being a Raider fan makes me a little unbalanced in my opinion (as well as in the mind of fans of the AFC West), but you find this book interesting even if you don't like the Raiders if you take it at face value.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Look At The Raiders, October 26, 2000

By 

Edward Kaminski (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raiders Forever: Stars of the NFL's Most Colorful Team Recall Their Glory Days (Paperback)

I'm a football fan, and like any football fan who was around at the time, I have fond memories of the Oakland Raiders of the 1970's.

Raiders Forever is much more than a simple recounting of the "Glory Days", rehashing the same old stories we're all familiar with by now. It is instead a compilation of conversations between the author and each member of the core group of Raiders(19 in all). Each player is encouraged to reflect on the team, and his role in it, and in this way, is the Raider's mistique defined. What turns out to be as interesting and important as their recollections, are the circumstances and places where these conversations take place. The author has tracked each player down and met them on their own turf, and it is fascinating to see where their life has taken them, and how the being a Raider has helped(or didn't help) them get there.

The author provides us with plenty of background information on each player as well, some of it surprising. Each player's complete Pro stats are at the end of each chapter. By the time I was finished reading a chapter, I had a good sense of where these people came from, who they were then, and who they are now. To me, it offers a more personal insight on what it was, and is, to be a Raider.

This is a well written book with a unique and fresh approach to an oft told story.