
Monsters
The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.47
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tom Taylorson
-
By:
-
Rich Cohen
About this listen
The gripping account of a once-in-a-lifetime football team and their lone championship season.
For Rich Cohen and millions of other fans, the 1985 Chicago Bears were more than a football team: they were the greatest football team ever - a gang of colorful nuts, dancing and pounding their way to victory. They won a Super Bowl and saved a city.
It was not just that the Monsters of the Midway won but how they did it. On offense, there was high-stepping running back Walter Payton and Punky QB Jim McMahon, who had a knack for pissing off Coach Mike Ditka as he made his way to the end zone. On defense, there was the 46: a revolutionary,quarterback-concussing scheme cooked up by Buddy Ryan and ruthlessly implemented by Hall of Famers such as Dan "Danimal" Hampton and "Samurai" Mike Singletary. On the sidelines, in the locker rooms, and in bars, there was the never-ending soap opera: the coach and the quarterback bickering on television, Ditka and Ryan nearly coming to blows in the Orange Bowl, the players recording the "Super Bowl Shuffle" video the morning after the season's only loss.
Cohen tracked down the coaches and players from this iconic team and asked them everything he has always wanted to know: What's it like to win? What's it like to lose? Do you really hate the guys on the other side? Were you ever scared? What do you think as you lie broken on the field? How do you go on after you have lived your dream but life has not ended?
The result is Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football, a portrait not merely of a team but of a city and a game: its history, its future, its fallen men, its immortal heroes. But mostly it's about being a fan - about loving too much. This is a book about America at its most nonsensical, delirious, and joyful.
©2013 Rich Cohen (P)2014 Blackstone AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Sweetness
- The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Payton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed “Sweetness” during his college football days, he became the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago.
-
-
Honest Accounting Of A Fascinating Life
- By RevInTampa on 08-19-15
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
When the Game Was War
- The NBA's Greatest Season
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1980s were a transformative decade for the NBA. Since its founding in 1946, the league had evolved from a bruising, earthbound game of mostly nameless, underpaid players to one in which athletes became household names for their thrilling, physics-defying play. The 1987–88 season was the peak of that golden era, a year of incredible drama that featured a pantheon of superstars in their prime—the most future Hall of Famers competing at one time in any given season—battling for the title, and for their respective legacies.
-
-
Phil Jackson accuses Red Auerbach of cheap tactics
- By Sean on 01-03-24
By: Rich Cohen
-
Tough Jews
- Fathers, Sons, and Ganster Dreams
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Rich Cohen
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning writer Rich Cohen excavates the real stories behind the legend of infamous criminal enforcers Murder, Inc. and contemplates the question: Where did the tough Jews go?
-
-
Had the physical but wanted to listen.....
- By Alednam A Uonopk on 09-19-24
By: Rich Cohen
-
The Chicago Cubs
- Story of a Curse
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Rich Cohen and millions of other fans, the Chicago Cubs have always been more than a team: they've been the protagonists of a King Arthur epic, in search of the Holy Grail that is winning the World Series. A chronicle of the last few miraculous seasons as experienced through the prism of Cubs history, The Chicago Cubs tracks the famous curse, which was placed on the team in 1945 by the infamous owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, who was ejected from Wrigley Field when he tried to bring his goat into the grandstand for the fifth game of the World Series.
-
-
just listen and it all happens again
- By Z. Kuhn on 10-28-17
By: Rich Cohen
-
Friday Night Lights
- A Town, a Team, and a Dream
- By: H. G. Bissinger
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 25th anniversary edition of the number-one New York Times best seller and Sports Illustrated's best football book of all time, with a new afterword by the author. Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa - the winningest high school football team in Texas history.
-
-
Keep This In Mind When You Listen
- By K. on 09-21-18
By: H. G. Bissinger
-
America's Game
- The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation
- By: Michael MacCambridge
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's Game traces pro football's grand transformation, from the World War II years, when the NFL was fighting for its very existence, to the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when labor disputes and off-field scandals shook the game to its core, and up to the sport's present-day preeminence. A thoroughly entertaining account of the entire universe of professional football, from locker room to boardroom, from playing field to press box, this is an essential book for any fan of America's favorite sport.
-
-
I wished for chronology…
- By Jason on 06-19-24
-
Sweetness
- The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Payton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed “Sweetness” during his college football days, he became the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago.
-
-
Honest Accounting Of A Fascinating Life
- By RevInTampa on 08-19-15
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
When the Game Was War
- The NBA's Greatest Season
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1980s were a transformative decade for the NBA. Since its founding in 1946, the league had evolved from a bruising, earthbound game of mostly nameless, underpaid players to one in which athletes became household names for their thrilling, physics-defying play. The 1987–88 season was the peak of that golden era, a year of incredible drama that featured a pantheon of superstars in their prime—the most future Hall of Famers competing at one time in any given season—battling for the title, and for their respective legacies.
-
-
Phil Jackson accuses Red Auerbach of cheap tactics
- By Sean on 01-03-24
By: Rich Cohen
-
Tough Jews
- Fathers, Sons, and Ganster Dreams
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Rich Cohen
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning writer Rich Cohen excavates the real stories behind the legend of infamous criminal enforcers Murder, Inc. and contemplates the question: Where did the tough Jews go?
-
-
Had the physical but wanted to listen.....
- By Alednam A Uonopk on 09-19-24
By: Rich Cohen
-
The Chicago Cubs
- Story of a Curse
- By: Rich Cohen
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Rich Cohen and millions of other fans, the Chicago Cubs have always been more than a team: they've been the protagonists of a King Arthur epic, in search of the Holy Grail that is winning the World Series. A chronicle of the last few miraculous seasons as experienced through the prism of Cubs history, The Chicago Cubs tracks the famous curse, which was placed on the team in 1945 by the infamous owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, who was ejected from Wrigley Field when he tried to bring his goat into the grandstand for the fifth game of the World Series.
-
-
just listen and it all happens again
- By Z. Kuhn on 10-28-17
By: Rich Cohen
-
Friday Night Lights
- A Town, a Team, and a Dream
- By: H. G. Bissinger
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 25th anniversary edition of the number-one New York Times best seller and Sports Illustrated's best football book of all time, with a new afterword by the author. Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa - the winningest high school football team in Texas history.
-
-
Keep This In Mind When You Listen
- By K. on 09-21-18
By: H. G. Bissinger
-
America's Game
- The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation
- By: Michael MacCambridge
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's Game traces pro football's grand transformation, from the World War II years, when the NFL was fighting for its very existence, to the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when labor disputes and off-field scandals shook the game to its core, and up to the sport's present-day preeminence. A thoroughly entertaining account of the entire universe of professional football, from locker room to boardroom, from playing field to press box, this is an essential book for any fan of America's favorite sport.
-
-
I wished for chronology…
- By Jason on 06-19-24
-
The Last Folk Hero
- The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 22 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, the greatest athlete of all time streaked across American sports and popular culture. Stadiums struggled to contain him. Clocks failed to capture his speed. His strength was legendary. His power unmatched. Video game makers turned him into an invincible character—and they were dead-on. He climbed (and walked across) walls, splintered baseball bats over his knee, turned oncoming tacklers into ground meat.
-
-
If you are a sports fan and over 35 years old, you have to listen/read this. Awesome!
- By betty sammons on 06-29-23
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
The Greatest Summer in Baseball History
- How the '73 Season Changed Us Forever
- By: John Rosengren
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1973, baseball was in crisis. The first strike in pro sports had soured fans, American League attendance had fallen, and America's team—the Yankees—had lost more games and money than ever. Yet that season, five of the game's greatest figures rescued the national pastime. Hank Aaron riveted the nation with his pursuit of Babe Ruth's landmark home run record in the face of racist threats. George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees at a bargain basement price and began buying back their faded glory.
-
-
Terrible, Just Terrible.
- By Anonymous User on 06-12-23
By: John Rosengren
-
The Bad Guys Won
- A Season of Brawling, Boozing, Bimbo Chasing, and Championship Baseball with Straw, Doc, Mookie, Nails, the Kid, and the Rest of the 1986 Mets, the Rowdiest Team Ever to Put on a New York Uniform - and Maybe the Best
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Jeff Pearlman
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 1986, and the New York Mets won 108 regular-season games and the World Series, capturing the hearts (and other assorted body parts) of fans everywhere. But their greatness on the field was nearly eclipsed by how bad they were off it. Led by the indomitable Keith Hernandez and the young dynamic duo of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, along with the gallant Scum Bunch, the Amazin's left a wide trail of wreckage in their wake-hotel rooms, charter planes, a bar in Houston, and most famously Bill Buckner and the hated Boston Red Sox.
-
-
Maybe 3.5
- By Lifeisshort on 02-15-22
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
The League
- How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire
- By: John Eisenberg
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The National Football League's current dominance has obscured how professional football got its start. In The League, John Eisenberg reveals that Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell took an immense risk by investing in the professional game. At that time, the sport barely registered on the national scene. The five owners succeeded only because at critical junctures in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the League.
-
-
what a great book. loved it completely.
- By Daniel Mosca on 11-08-18
By: John Eisenberg
-
Let's Play Two
- The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks
- By: Ron Rapoport
- Narrated by: Charley Steiner
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive and revealing biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, one of America's most iconic, beloved, and misunderstood baseball players, by acclaimed journalist Ron Rapoport.
-
-
‘Mostly about Ernie Banks
- By Steven J Kaczynski Sr. on 07-11-22
By: Ron Rapoport
-
Showtime
- Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost 300 interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers’ epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America’s greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players’ decadent Hollywood lifestyles. From the Showtime era’s remarkable rise to its tragic end - marked by Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV - Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.
-
-
Offended at the style used to voice black characters.
- By NP on 01-15-22
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
Three Seconds in Munich: The Controversial 1972 Olympic Basketball Final
- By: David A. F. Sweet
- Narrated by: Jeff Lechtanski
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One. Two. Three. That’s as long as it took to sear the souls of a dozen young American men, thanks to the craziest, most controversial finish in the history of the Olympics - the 1972 gold-medal basketball contest between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the world’s two superpowers at the time. The U.S. team believed it had won the gold medal that September in Munich - not once, but twice. The American players became the only Olympic athletes in the history of the games to refuse their medals.
-
-
We were robbed
- By Hebern on 03-18-21
-
A Game of Extremes
- 25 Exceptional Basketball Stories About What Happens On and Off the Court (A Game of Extremes.)
- By: Roy Lingster
- Narrated by: Warren Sandwell
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are 2.2 billion basketball fans in the world. That’s over a quarter of the entire population of the world! There are so many fans because basketball is more than just a game. For many, it is a way to root for their favorite players–to live vicariously through these players who can fly through the air. And for others, basketball is the way to a better life.
-
-
See how players push themselves to the limit
- By FitFreak on 02-02-23
By: Roy Lingster
-
Michael Jordan
- The Life
- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.
-
-
horrible naration
- By Hiro on 03-27-18
By: Roland Lazenby
-
Bleachers
- A Novel
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: John Grisham
- Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was the best quarterback to play for the Messina Spartans. 15 years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into a football dynasty. Now, as Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake or hate him.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Patricia B Tripoli on 09-14-03
By: John Grisham
-
The Blind Side
- Evolution of a Game
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we first meet the young man at the center of this extraordinary and moving story, he is one of 13 children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school. And he has no serious experience playing organized football.
-
-
Another great book by Michael Lewis
- By Leland on 03-20-11
By: Michael Lewis
-
Football for a Buck
- The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States Football League was the last football league to not merely challenge the mighty NFL but also to cause it to collectively shudder. It spanned three seasons, featured as many as 18 teams, secured multiple television deals, drew millions of fans, and launched the careers of legends - but then it died beneath the weight of a particularly egotistical and bombastic owner, a New York businessman named Donald Trump. Jeff Pearlman draws on more than 400 interviews to unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America.
-
-
Ahhh the USFL
- By Film Lover on 10-11-18
By: Jeff Pearlman

About the Creator and Performer
What listeners say about Monsters
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matt
- 05-11-18
Solid.
Well written, entertaining, educational, great narration. An awesome tribute by a true and dedicated Bears fan to a superb ball club and it’s alumni.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Damian
- 08-25-21
Excellent sports story
...Not only the 1985 Chicago Bears but the history of the Iron Men who were so instrumental in establishing football as America’s sport. I think it rates with “Friday night lights” as one of the mesmerizing football Chronicles of our time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeffrey Crane
- 07-26-24
Cool Bears History
Nice job with many good interviews with players from the ‘85 Super Bowl champ team. Enjoyed the history of the Bears going back to 1920 with George Halas.
Occasional reminders of how different the game was then compared to now. Hard hits used to create “oohs and ahs” and now they make us say “oh no!”
46 defense was created for #46 who was a safety. If you love the Bears or loved that team, this should be a fun listen for you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Collins
- 01-19-21
Well told, passionate, detailed, and emotional!
"Monsters The 1985 Chicago Bears and The Wild Heart of Football" is very detailed. The beginning passages of chapter 15 will give you a good indication of the worth which the author feels towred the essence of the material found in this subject, it is indelibly etched on his heart. Growing up in the area at that time; I related to the sentimentality of the book. The detail chapter essays about individual players, the details surrounding the development of that specific roster and coaches. The stories of boisterous enthusiasm of the individuals and the culture of the team. The struggle of the interplay between the two different offensive and defensive philosophies on the same team. The way the fans seem to live and die with every play every game. However, what makes this book different is that it makes you understand the depth of the people behind the warrior mentality that were on that team and the very culture and historical depth that is in the fabric of the NFL itself! You don't have to be specifically a die-hard Chicago Bears fan to enjoy this book and the quality of the writing found in it. If you enjoy pro football, you will enjoy this book and you will not regret reading/listening to it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-10-20
Great storytelling for any football/history fan
I dinged the performance one star due to the narrator’s horrible botched pronunciation of Rocket Richard’s name. Yes, it looks like “rich-ard”, but it’s French Canadian and pronounced “ri-shard”. He’s super famous. Somebody should have caught that mistake.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MD1
- 11-21-20
Well Worth the Listen
A full telling of the story of the 1985 Bears. The character portraits are detailed and complete, and the key games are brought back to life. Narration is excellent; he does slight impressions of some of the players and it really works. I will offer one warning: the author makes a lot of high brow references and turns of phrases that seem odd in a book about the 85 Bears. There are also a number of tangential detours into the author’s life that seemed out of place, but overall this was a very enjoyable listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R.j
- 03-15-17
The story of legends
Not a bears fan but any fan of football knows the legendary 85 bears and any fan of football in general should read/listen to this book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tony
- 05-16-24
just incredible
Far and away the best book on the Chicago Bears that I've ever read/listened to. So much great inside input and perspective that you won't find elsewhere. My only complaint was that it ended; I could listen to this stuff forever.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lecroy Rhyanes Jr.
- 01-15-23
Checkers to Chess
One of the first books I've read in its entirety about an NFL team, a credit free pick up til' my next credit on audible comes in. An incredible story on the coming of age of the NFL & it's history with a scope on the Bears. Will love going back through my marks and clips, appreciated the connections to chess, the honesty about the pains of the game, and so many references to continuing the read into the world of football. The narration by Tom Taylorson is perfect for the conversations documented throughout.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Don S.
- 11-07-20
like reliving my youth.
outstanding book. it brought back so many memories for me. I graduated from a rival high school the same year as the author, so it was even more personal for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how detailed he was with the history of the organization and Papa Bear.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful