Unofficial Oakland Raiders Book of Lists [Paperback]

Michael Wagaman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2002

In Silver & Black Illustrated's Unofficial Oakland Raiders Book of Lists, veteran beat reporter Michael Wagaman ranks everything Raiders - from the standards of excellence to incidents of shame. The best nicknames, the most infamous plays, the greatest individual seasons, plus dozens and dozens more. See how they stack up with your all-time favorites!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Wagaman has covered the NFL for 13 years and has reported on the Raiders for seven seasons. A senior writer for Silver & Black Illustrated, Michael lives in Vallejo, Calif. with his wife, Loretta, and son, Michael.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Top 10 most wanted

1. Mike Shanahan: Fans never took to Shanahan because he was an outsider of epic proportions, having cut his coaching teeth in Denver for the hated Broncos. His feud with Raiders owner Al Davis, whom Shanahan once reportedly had a young quarterback throw a football at, has grown to an acrimonious level that only enhances his status as Public Enemy No. 1. His 11-1 stretch against Oakland at one point while head coach of the Broncos leaves no doubt.

2. The NFL: Can¹t have a most-wanted list without including the league¹s brass. That includes current Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former Commissioner Pete Rozelle.

3. Marcus Allen: A great player who could have gone down in history as the Raiders¹ best of all time. Instead a public and private war with Al Davis followed by Allen¹s decision to sign with the hated Kansas City Chiefs removed any love the team¹s fans might have had left for him.

4. Pat Bowlen: The Broncos owner has never made an attempt to hide his feelings of contempt for Al Davis. Likewise, Davis won¹t be inviting Bowlen over for dinner any time soon. The two men can barely stand to look at one another.

5. Carmen Policy: He was a thorn in the Raiders¹ side when he was with San Francisco and is equally hated now that he¹s in Cleveland.

6. Lamar Hunt: Another fellow owner with no love for Davis, Hunt¹s greatest days are when his Kansas City Chiefs beat the Raiders. If Kansas City were to go 2-14 with two wins against Oakland, Hunt would consider it a successful season.

7. Marty Schottenheimer: Another opposing head coach who loved nothing more than beating the Raiders and rubbing their noses in it. He was good at it, which is why he is disliked even more.

8. Mary King: Alameda County Supervisor who has been at odds with the Raiders ever since the deal to bring the team back to Oakland in 1995 turned out to be a political and financial disaster. King hates everything about the Raiders and makes no attempt to hide her disdain.

9. Jon Gruden: Hard to believe Chuckie could make this list but the way he and his agent handled the circumstances that led to Gruden¹s exit from Oakland are too much to ignore. He did a lot to repair the Raiders¹ image and standards but many people ‹ players, coaches and fans ‹ feel he left them hanging out to dry.

10. All NFL referees: The Raiders have long held to a conspiracy theory among the league¹s officials and the controversial loss to New England in the 2001 AFC playoffs didn¹t help.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: American Sports Media (September 8, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0971392463
• ISBN-13: 978-0971392465
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,349,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)