by Rich Cohen
First published 2013
Rich Cohen examines the 1985 Chicago Bears, a football team he considers the greatest ever assembled. Cohen interviewed the coaches and players from this championship squad to understand what made them special. The Bears featured Walter Payton's high-stepping runs and quarterback Jim McMahon, who regularly clashed with coach Mike Ditka. Their defense ran the 46 scheme, designed by Buddy Ryan and executed by Hall of Famers like Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary. Cohen explores the team's internal drama, from televised arguments between coach and quarterback to near-fights between Ditka and Ryan at the Orange Bowl. He asked players direct questions about winning, losing, fear, and injury. The team recorded the Super Bowl Shuffle video after their only loss of the season. Cohen presents this as more than sports history. He examines Chicago as a city, football as a cultural force, and what it means to be a devoted fan who loves too intensely.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, sports, non-fiction, biography-memoir, football, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, found-family, underdog
Setting: Chicago, Orange Bowl
Period: 1985
338 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux