An accurate and insightful journey into pro football's most dynamic organization as told by the author who as one reviewer stated, "In this joyful memoir about Davis and the Raiders, Ranahan was innocent, and this book reads like Huck Finn meets Al Davis."
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 though 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.
In 1973, Dennis Ranahan parlayed a summer internship and training camp job to a full-time position with the Oakland Raiders. His rise in the organization was tied to his relationship with the Raiders dynamic owner, Al Davis. In 1981, Ranahan took his knowledge of the league, and what makes an athlete and team perform above or below their accepted level, to the task of delivering winning point spread decisions to clients. He named his company Qoxhi Picks, taking five "football" letters to create the name. "Q" for quarterback, "O" for offense, "X" for defense and "HI" to represent a motivational high, which is the key to his success as a handicapper. Today, Ranahan is a weekly featured guest on KNBR radio in the San Francisco Bay Area and publishes insightful handicapping stories and point spread edges on his website: picksfootball.com. In 2001, Ranahan introduced an online tool that is designed to transform wagering on football to a lucrative business investment. The business Account Manager allows clients to declare an opening account balance and receive exact wager amounts on each Qoxhi selection to stay within any of the five money management strategies offered on the site. In the 23 seasons this investment tool has been available, 20 seasons have shown a profit with the Basic Strategy and in 43 years the weekly Top Pick has never had a losing campaign. Ranahan makes his home in the East Bay with his wife of 49 years, Pam, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
