Author(s): Jeff Pearlman

Sport

BOYS WILL BE BOYS is the rollicking story of the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s-a team of wild-partying, out-of-control glory-hounds that won three Super Bowls in four years and comprised the most adored, detested, and colorful powerhouse in NFL history. The New York Times bestseller kicks off in the late-1980s, when a struggling franchise is sold to an obscure Arkansas oil man named Jerry Jones, who, in a controversial move, quickly dumps legendary coach Tom Landry and replaces him with the hard-living Jimmy Johnson, Jonesâ≢ former college teammate. In their first season under Johnson, the Cowboys suffer an embarassing losing record of 1-15 and become the laughingstock of the league. Undeterred, Johnson guarantees all who will listen that a Super Bowl awaits-and it does. Led by the golden-haired, strong-armed quarterback Troy Aikman, who is stalked by female fans and worshiped by their husbands, as well as the arrogant All-Pro running back Emmitt Smith, and the cocaine-and-hooker-craving receiver Michael Irvin, the Cowboys win the 1992 Super Bowl. Then repeat their victory a year later. And then again 2 years later. While tracing the rise of this football dynasty, Pearlman introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, including Deion Sanders, the outspoken cornerback who skips practice to chase bimbos, receiver Alvin Harper, the Irvin wanna-be who is banned from a Dallas strip club for having sex with a dancer in a phone booth, and many, many more. With exhaustive reporting and fast-paced writing, Pearlman tells the story of a dynamic team that attained unparalleled success, yet-thanks to a trail littered by drug and alcohol abuse and sexual addictions-proved unable to handle the glory.