Part memoir, part history, Al Davis to Win is a fascinating study of some of the most prominent people
in the National Football League. This is an inside story from the perspective of a young worker who was
privy to some of the most influential occurrences that molded the NFL into what it is today.
How the American Football League gained traction within a decade of its inception to merge with the
long-established NFL is revealed through the actions of Al Davis, Lamar Hunt, Tex Schramm and Pete Rozelle.
These four men are worthy of placement on an NFL equivalent of Mount Rushmore.
Al Davis to Win does not fictionalize the Raiders and their influence on professional sports, but rather offers
accurate insights through the words and actions of some of the league's most renowned figures. In addition to a
deep dive into the methods utilized by Davis, this book offers unique character studies of Howard Cosell, John
Madden, Tom Flores, Jim Otto, Ken Stabler, Ron Wolf, Curt Gowdy and Johnny Unitas.
Praises for the book and Al Davis
Dennis Ranahan served as personal assistant to Al Davis in the 1970s, a job he remembers fondly in this joyful
memoir about Davis and the Raiders. Ranahan was innocent, and this book reads like Huck Finn meets Al Davis—the
collision of innocence and experience. Davis comes across as utterly demanding, monomaniacal, cruel, kind,
insensitive, sensitive, brilliant and dense. And totally unknowable. There is a late-night scene at a Doggie
Diner in Oakland where Davis lectures Ranahan on the difference between “right” and “best.” It could be straight
out of Plato. The book provides new insights—some surprising—into John Madden, George Blanda, Ken Stabler and
others. This book gives a deep inside look at Davis at the height of his powers and his charisma and into a
memorable epoch of the Raiders, deeper than other books on the subject.
~ Lowell Cohn, author and sports columnist
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“It is the best book I ever read, wait a minute, To Kill a Mockingbird was pretty good.”
– Captain J.R. Frey, Lake Worth, Florida
“Davis challenged front office workers just like he did his teams on the field.”
– Jim Otto, Oakland, California
“I loved learning the history of how the American Football League merged with the National Football League.”
– Jack Lavey, Houston, Texas
“Davis was the only person I knew who could change the taste of food from across the room.”
– Ken Stabler, Foley, Alabama
“This book gives a deep inside look at Davis at the height of his powers, …deeper than other books on the subject.”
– Lowell Cohn, Oakland, California