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Kevin Cook
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The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s--The Era that Created Modern Sports: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s: the Era that Created Modern Sports Kindle Edition

by Kevin Cook (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 184 ratings
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The inside story of the most colorful decade in NFL history—pro football’s raging, hormonal, hairy, druggy, immortal adolescence.


Between the Immaculate Reception in 1972 and The Catch in 1982, pro football grew up. In 1972, Steelers star Franco Harris hitchhiked to practice. NFL teams roomed in skanky motels. They played on guts, painkillers, legal steroids, fury, and camaraderie. A decade later, Joe Montana’s gleamingly efficient 49ers ushered in a new era: the corporate, scripted, multibillion-dollar NFL we watch today. Kevin Cook’s rollicking chronicle of this pivotal decade draws on interviews with legendary players—Harris, Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Ken “Snake” Stabler—to re-create their heroics and off-field carousing. He shows coaches John Madden and Bill Walsh outsmarting rivals as Monday Night Football redefined sports’ place in American life. Celebrating the game while lamenting the physical toll it took on football’s greatest generation, Cook diagrams the NFL’s transformation from second-tier sport into national obsession.
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  1. Print length
    297 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    September 3, 2012
  6. File size
    3305 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A head-slap of a book. Whap, yeah, that’s how it was."
― Roy Blount, Jr.

"Were we crazy? No―we loved the game, and this book shows why. Cook captures '70s football in all its glory."
― Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame quarterback, MVP of Super Bowl VI

About the Author

A former senior editor at Sports Illustrated, Kevin Cook is the author of Titanic Thompson, Tommy's Honor, Kitty Genovese and The Dad Report. He lives in New York City.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007Q6XMHE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (September 3, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 3, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3305 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 184 ratings

About the author

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Kevin Cook

Kevin Cook

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The award-winning author of Tommy's Honor has written ten books including Titanic Thompson, Kitty Genovese, Ten Innings at Wrigley, and The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
184 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars A book about the greatest teams and the hardest hitting characters of the era!! Takes me back to the Disco era
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
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Excellent book about the best era of the NFL when the game still was not so big and during the time that saw it grow into what it is today. I am a lifelong Steelers fan but appreciated reading the stories about the Raiders and Steelers rivalry and gained a lot of respect for Al Davis and the entire Raiders organization over the huge rivalry that helped transcend the game to be what it is today.
Many of the colorful characters of the 70's and early 80's would not be welcome in todays game and it is really sad because this was the era that I relate to the most. It seems like teams of today are centered on a finesse type of game instead of the game played in the trenches of the past. Guys like Jack Lambert of the Steelers and John Matuszak of the Raiders along with so many others played with reckless abandon that is not seen today. I enjoyed reading about Jim Otto who was retiring when I was a child who literally lost his leg due to injuries he suffered yet he still played.
I always appreciated the way the game was played where it was more about Defense and running the ball and it was a battle every play instead of everything now being geared toward the passing game and Defensive players are handcuffed and quarterbacks are coddled.
It sounds like a cliche' but I think there are players today who would have a difficult time playing under the same rules and it makes me wonder what quarterbacks like Dan Fouts, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw or Bob Griese could do today under these rules. I thinka guy like John Stallworth or Cliff Branch or Lynn Swann would have been unstoppable and we would not have witnessed the grace of OJ Simpson or Tony Dorsett or we may not have seen as much of Walter Payton or Earl Campbell and their ability to impose their will on Defenses by running the ball at will.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the game of football and appreciates the wild wonderful characters of the 70's and 80's.
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DACHokie
4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Skewed, but Captures the Essence of the Awesomeness that WAS 70s Pro Football …
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014
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I was 11 when I attended my first (and only) NFL football game … December 24, 1977. Family connections in Baltimore allowed us to see the AFC Divisional Playoff Game between the upstart and talented Baltimore Colts and those “mean and dirty” Oakland Raiders. The image of sitting in the overcast, pre-snow chill of Memorial Stadium on Christmas Eve for that particular game is indelibly etched in my memory as probably the greatest sporting event I’ll ever see … for the simple fact I was there (Dave Casper’s game-winning double overtime TD catch aside). In those days, NOTHING trumped NFL football and it’s only now, with the NFL having morphed into its current state of being nothing more than a gaudy, money-grubbing entity in which an uber-juicy payday seems to elicit a phony passion for the game (save a few, very few), do I realize how much I miss the grit and grind of 70s brand of NFL. Kevin Cook’s THE LAST HEADBANGERS served me a massive dose of nostalgia that had me searching my personal library the souvenir program I got from that 1977 playoff game. While the book has some gaps, the shear amount of long-lost 70s memories oozing out of each page was satisfying enough for me.

Cook obviously has a nostalgic passion for the 70s and all of its goofiness … those days were drenched in Technicolor expressionism and most everyone, even us kids, soaked every bit of it up. While the Cunninghams, Mr. Kotter, the Rookies and Fantasy Island provided entertainment the rest of the week, Sundays in the fall were pretty much given to the NFL. As Cook explains, the decade of the 70s rubber-stamped pro-football as being THE American sport, finally surpassing baseball. THE LAST HEADBANGERS covers a time period between the “Immaculate Reception” play in 1972 and Dwight Clark’s ballyhooed catch in 1982. The plays are significant to Cook in that he feels the “immaculate Reception” put the nail in the coffin of the 1960s, run-happy, Lombardi-driven era of football and Clark’s catch which symbolized the next generation by introducing a new dynasty to the court (49ers) and the league’s move to become the money-driven empire it is today. What’s in-between is a decade of arguably the grittiest, most colorful and entertaining moments in sports … an era of rabble-rousers who freely gave their bodies, not for money, but for pride … a different breed played and coached the game.

THE LAST HEADBANGERS is simply a fun book to read and there’s a little something for everyone. Each chapter is pretty much assigned to a particular season from the perspective of the season’s eventual Super Bowl champion. I found the organization a little confusing at times as some season tended to blend together, especially when there were back to back champions like the Dolphins and the Steelers (twice). But, what makes the book so entertaining is that there is a lot of story-telling from former players who add plenty of color; it’s enjoyable hearing retired players recall events of their heyday with such vigor and it appears quite obvious that they have wistful memories of an era long gone. Cook’s research effort is definitely evident. While encapsulating the season leading up to each Super Bowl, we get an idea of how the players and coaches approached the game … and it wasn’t about a paycheck. Cook does a fine job detailing how different the game was in the 70s and how that decade pretty much served as the start of the NFL becoming such a dominant entity. Salaries were a pittance compared to those today and the game’s violence led to rules changes that most people today probably think existed all along, but the NFL Commissioner (Pete Rozelle) and team owners implemented numerous changes that really opened up the game. Arguably, players seemed to be tougher in the 70s … the vicious nature of the game was still pretty much unchecked and men played with injuries (often severe). I particularly enjoyed the birth and growth of Monday Night Football; there certainly was a lot more going on in the announcer’s booth that one could have imagined (but they always seemed to pull things off). On and off field chatter, sideline antics and “me generation” players and coaches provide much of the book’s more memorable moments. Additionally, steroids (not banned back then) and alcohol were consumed by players like milk and cookies in a daycare … crazy times.

I wished Cook had expanded the book a little more … I would have loved to read more about the futility of the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1976 and unfortunately, that one-of-a-kind double-overtime Baltimore-Oakland playoff game wasn't even mentioned. Understandably, the book is Steeler-laden with a heavy dose of Dolphin, Raider, Cowboy and 49er teams. Some Super Bowl losers, like the hapless Vikings and the Cowboys score a little more attention, but teams like the Rams, Redskins and Broncos only get a line or two. Regardless, this book provided a wonderful trip down memory lane for me … a reminder of how simple and fun things were back then, even in professional sports … kind of like thumbing through a copy of a 1970s Sears Christmas Wish book. I wonder if I can still find a set of those skin-tight, flammable NFL pajamas with a Redskins helmet on the shirt front.
6 people found this helpful
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Jack Garrison
5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Headbangers is a great history of the early NFL and 1970s football.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012
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This book contains a lot of anecdotes about many of our favorite football men -- including those who created the NFL as well as those who played the game in the 1970s. It was a hard book to put down. Very enjoyable reading!
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Top reviews from other countries

David Castaldo
4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read
Reviewed in Canada on September 2, 2023
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What a great way to kick off the football season then a great read like this. The book is fun, good read and gives you a little extra kick before the season kicks off. For any Football fan a good read.
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Oxford Blues
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight into “Starskey and Hutch” era NFL
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
Cook writes with authority and enthusiasm. He strikes the perfect balance between entertainment and detail. Not too much of the former that it becomes bubblegum, and not too much of the latter that it becomes tedious. In a litigious age it must be hard to write this kind of book now, which recounts memories of the relatively recent past, drawing on opinions, testimony and anecdotes which, for some of those involved, may make difficult reading. Not just a book about the NFL, it’s about a certain type of human being. Great read.
One person found this helpful
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Robert Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Bring back the Seventies!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2019
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Cracking read - some interesting background and good lively story-telling - tells it like it was for Seventies football
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Elle
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly written and completely evocative of time and place
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2016
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Brilliantly written and completely evocative of time and place. Though not a fan of any of the teams the book focuses on, it's still compelling from start to finish. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Chocolate Girl Cumbria
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous insight to the history of the game
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2015
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Bought it for a present and the reader tells me it is a brilliant read - if you are a follower of the 80's NFL this is the read for you.
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