Audiobook13 hours
Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty
Written by Jeff Pearlman
Narrated by Arthur Morey
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
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 performances.
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.
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 performances.
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.
Author
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff Pearlman is a columnist for SI.com, a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, and the critically acclaimed author of Boys Will Be Boys, The Bad Guys Won!, and Love Me, Hate Me.
More audiobooks from Jeff Pearlman
Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Boys Will Be Boys
Related audiobooks
Wish It Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5America's Game: The NFL at 100 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snake: The Legendary Life of Ken Stabler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chuck Noll: His Life's Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl TEAM That Changed Football Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5NFL Brawler: A Player-turned-agent's Forty Years in the Bloody Trenches of the National Football League Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Express: The Ernie Davis Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Willie Mays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Innings at Wrigley: The Wildest Ballgame Ever, with Baseball on the Brink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Electric October: Seven World Series Games, Six Lives, Five Minutes of Fame That Lasted Forever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories From the Life and Times of One of the NBA's Fiercest Competitors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barkley: A Biography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51996: A Biography - Reliving the Legend-Packed, Dynasty-Stacked, Most Iconic Sports Year Ever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntangiball: The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Life's Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tough Luck: Sid Luckman, Murder, Inc., and the Rise of the Modern NFL Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boys of Dunbar: A Story of Love, Hope, and Basketball Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mantle: The Best There Ever Was Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gods at Play: An Eyewitness Account of Great Moments in American Sports Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer, and the Things Worth Fighting For Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Sports & Recreation For You
Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in the Wild: Danger and Survival in the North Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mental Toughness Training For Young Athletes - Parent's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/580/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Winners Won't Tell You: Lessons from a Legendary Defender Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Read Nature: An Expert's Guide to Discovering the Outdoors You've Never Noticed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting to Neutral: How to Conquer Negativity and Thrive in a Chaotic World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life through the Games we Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Leadership, Excellence, and Decision-Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A River Runs Through It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Boys Will Be Boys
Rating: 4.024096409638554 out of 5 stars
4/5
83 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved it good book about the up and downs of my all time favorite NFL F ranchise
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I own three of Pearlman's books and enjoy them all, but there's this undefinable something that's missing from his writing. It's the difference between being "pretty good" and "really good," though I'm not really sure how to describe it. Well, one thing I DO have a big issue with is his penchant for reminding you who people are that he's already introduced a couple of pages ago. This is prevalent in all of his work that I've read...I don't recall it being as bad in this one, but it still crops up. Anyways, this is a pretty interesting look at the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s. Not terribly in-depth, and as another reviewer noted, the partying seems to get more coverage than the actual games, but there's still enough football content to whet your appetite (I particularly enjoyed the Super Bowl XXX section). This is worth a read, but don't expect too much.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved it. Real story of the 90’s CB dynasty !
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely incredible! Every man in their 20s/30s should listen/read this book...I got so much from this!!!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I sat down one Saturday to read Boys Will Be Boys, about the 1990 Dallas Cowboys, and couldn’t put it down. This book chronicles the hard partying team that won three Super Bowls in four years and is definitively the team of the 1990’s.
Given the drinking, drugs, women, and super hard partying this team engaged in during their run in the 1990’s it is simply amazing that they were able to win championships. I’m not sure if it is a testament to just what phenomenal athletes these men were, or their dedication to football and winning despite their debauched lifestyle off the field. According to this book it seems nearly the entire team, with the exception of a few like stars like Troy Aikman, were engaged in a wild years long party off the field, while racking up wins and championships off of it.
Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame wide receiver and guard Nate Newton appear to be the ringleaders of this band of imbibers. Of course Irvin has been busted enough times with drugs and women that it comes as no surprise. What is surprising is just how pervasive the lifestyle was. Certainly we all know there are a handful of players on every team that lead pretty wild lifestyles, but how a team that seemed to be immersed so deeply in drinking and womanizing (and presumably other illicit activities as well) could be so successful is really amazing.
Another completely bizarre character is defensive end Charles Haley. Basically run out of San Francisco by his teammates for his horrible behavior, he nearly fit right in with the Dallas Cowboys. This nasty fellow was known for exposing himself to his teammates and constantly harassing them and stirring up trouble. Only professional athletes could ever get by with the horrendous behavior and bizarre antics of Haley.
There is also plenty of other inside information about the 1990 Cowboys. We learn more about Troy Aikman and his leadership on the field. And of course there is great detail about coach Jimmy Johnson who turned a blind eye to off field behaviors as long as the team kept winning. We follow how he turned a losing team into a powerhouse with adroit drafting, his arrogant yet winning ways, and his falling out with owner Jerry Jones, when two Texas sized egos found they could not coexist. We also get a view of the inevitable decline after the inept blowhard Barry Switzer took over as head coach.
All in all this was a wildly informative book about a wild but winning team. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Overall it was a pretty good book, but you have to be a Dallas fan already to get the most out of it.