Synopses & Reviews
They were America's Team—the high-priced, high-glamour, high-flying Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, who won three Super Bowls and made as many headlines off the field as on it. Led by Emmitt Smith, the charismatic Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, and Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, the Cowboys rank among the greatest of all NFL dynasties.
In similar fashion to his New York Times bestseller The Bad Guys Won!, about the 1986 New York Mets, in Boys Will Be Boys, award-winning writer Jeff Pearlman chronicles the outrageous antics and dazzling talent of a team fueled by ego, sex, drugs—and unrivaled greatness. Rising from the ashes of a 1-15 season in 1989 to capture three Super Bowl trophies in four years, the Dallas Cowboys were guided by a swashbuckling, skirt-chasing, power-hungry owner, Jerry Jones, and his two eccentric, hard-living coaches, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. Together the three built a juggernaut that America loved and loathed.
But for a team that was so dominant on Sundays, the Cowboys were often a dysfunctional circus the rest of the week. Irvin, nicknamed "The Playmaker," battled dual addictions to drugs and women. Charles Haley, the defensive colossus, presided over the team's infamous "White House," where the parties lasted late into the night and a steady stream of long-legged groupies came and went. And then there were Smith and Sanders, whose Texas-sized egos were eclipsed only by their record-breaking on-field perfomances.
With an unforgettable cast of characters and a narrative as hard-hitting and fast-paced as the team itself, Boys Will Be Boys immortalizes the most beloved—and despised—dynasty in NFL history.
Synopsis
The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Bad Guys Won!" chronicles the rise and fall of the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s--the storied three-time Super Bowl champions and the most beloved, despised, and unforgettable dynasty in NFL history. color photo insert.
Synopsis
Boys Will Be Boys, author Jeff Perlman's rollicking, completely unabashed account of the glory days of "America's Team"--the NFL Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s--was a
New York Times bestseller in hardcover and selected by
GQ as one of the Best Books of the Year. The uncensored exploits of Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and the rest of the 'Boys on and off the football field,
Boys Will Be Boys makes for riveting, shocking, often wildly hilarious reading.
Synopsis
Boys Will Be Boys, author Jeff Perlmans rollicking, completely unabashed account of the glory days of “Americas Team”—the NFL Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s—was a New York Times bestseller in hardcover and selected by GQ as one of the Best Books of the Year. The uncensored exploits of Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and the rest of the Boys on and off the football field, Boys Will Be Boys makes for riveting, shocking, often wildly hilarious reading.
Synopsis
Theand#160;rollickingand#160;story of the birth of professional football in Texas in the early 1960s, as two oiland#160;tycoons raced to build warring professional football franchisesand#8212;the Cowboys and the Texansand#8212;and win the hearts of fans in a town where football reigned supreme.and#160;
Synopsis
In the 1960s, on the heels of the and#8220;Greatest Game Ever Played,and#8221; professional football began to flourish across the countryand#8212;except in Texas, where college football was still the only game in town. But in an unlikely series of events, two young oil tycoons started their own professional football franchises in Dallas the very same year: the NFLand#8217;s Dallas Cowboys, and, as part of a new upstart league designed to thwart the NFLand#8217;s hold on the game, the Dallas Texans of the AFL. Almost overnight, a bitter feud was born.
The team owners, Lamar Hunt and Clint Murchison, became Mad Men of the gridiron, locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of the Texas pigskin faithful. Their teams took each other to court, fought over players, undermined each otherand#8217;s promotions, and rooted like hell for the other guys to fail. A true visionary, Hunt of the Texans focused on the fans, putting together a team of local legends and hiring attractive women to drive around town in red convertibles selling tickets. Meanwhile, Murchison and his Cowboys focused on the game, hiring a young star, Tom Landry, in what would be his first-ever year as a head coach, and concentrating on holding their own against the more established teams in the NFL. Ultimately, both teams won the battle, but only one got to stay in Dallas and go on to become one of sportsand#8217; most quintessential franchisesand#8212;and#8220;America's Team.and#8221;
In this highly entertaining narrative, rich in colorful characters and unforgettable stunts, Eisenberg recounts the story of the birth of pro football in Dallasand#8212;back when the game began to be part of this countryand#8217;s DNA.
About the Author
JOHN EISENBERG was an award-winning sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun for two decades and is the author of Ten-Gallon War, That First Season, My Guy Barbaro (co-written with jockey Edgar Prado), and The Great Match Race. He has written for Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, and Details, among other publications.
Table of Contents
Prologueand#8195;ixPART I
1. and#8220;Would you be interested in starting up a new league?and#8221;and#8195;3
2. and#8220;Those Texas Millionairesand#8221;and#8195;20
3. and#8220;Youand#8217;re going to break us alland#8221;and#8195;34
4. and#8220;Son, that league isnand#8217;t going to make itand#8221;and#8195;50
5. and#8220;Is Big D big enough . . . for two teams?and#8221;and#8195;61
PART II
6. and#8220;I trained on biscuits and gravyand#8221;and#8195;73
7. and#8220;Someone is going to get hurt hereand#8221;and#8195;88
8. and#8220;This is not a harassment situationand#8221;and#8195;100
9. and#8220;Itand#8217;s going to take time for this thing to growand#8221;and#8195;115
10. and#8220;They thought the Texans were a lot more funand#8221;and#8195;125
11. and#8220;Weand#8217;ve scared off every fan we haveand#8221;and#8195;139
PART III
12. and#8220;They should play each otherand#8221;and#8195;157
13. and#8220;Did you wear mouse ears or a helmet?and#8221;and#8195;172
14. and#8220;They shouldnand#8217;t be able to do this to usand#8221;and#8195;185
PART IV
15. and#8220;Letand#8217;s beat their assesand#8221;and#8195;201
16. and#8220;We are stayingand#8221;and#8195;215
17. and#8220;We will kick to the clockand#8221;and#8195;227
PART V
18. and#8220;Itand#8217;s nice to be wantedand#8221;and#8195;243
19. and#8220;Thereand#8217;s something I want to visit with you aboutand#8221;and#8195;255
20. and#8220;Did Vince really say that?and#8221;and#8195;271
Epilogueand#8195;287
Authorand#8217;s Note on Sourcesand#8195;296
Indexand#8195;300