Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty

Written by Jeff Pearlman

Narrated by Arthur Morey

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 12, 2009
• ISBN: 9781400180738

Jeff Pearlman

Jeff Pearlman is the New York Times bestselling author of ten books. His subjects include NFL legends Walter Pay­ton (Sweetness), Brett Favre (Gunslinger), and Bo Jackson (The Last Folk Hero), as well as the ’80s Los Angeles Lakers (Show­time), the 1986 New York Mets (The Bad Guys Won), and the ’90s Dallas Cowboys (Boys Will Be Boys). HBO adapted Showtime into the dramatic series Winning Time, produced and directed by Adam McKay. A former Sports Illus­trated senior writer and ESPN.com colum­nist, Pearlman is the host of the Two Writers Slinging Yang podcast.

Reviews for Boys Will Be Boys

[Runda Roberts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it good book about the up and downs of my all time favorite NFL F ranchise

[asktheages · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I 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.

[James Jeff · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Real story of the 90’s CB dynasty !

[Omini Ewah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely incredible! Every man in their 20s/30s should listen/read this book...I got so much from this!!!

[dougbaker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I 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.

[sooziebeaker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall it was a pretty good book, but you have to be a Dallas fan already to get the most out of it.