In Life, First You Kick Ass: Reflections on the 1985 Bears and Wisdom from Da Coach

by Mike Ditka, Rick Telander

The 1985 Bears set a standard for success which hasn't been matched in the past quarter century. The Monsters of the Midway did not only demolish the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, they dominated the NFL that season the way few teams have in the history of the sport. The Bears finished the regular season with a gleaming 15-1 record, perfect but for a slip-up on Dec. 2 in Miami. In a span of three games in November, the Bears defeated Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta by a combined score of 104-3. In Reflections on the 1985 Bears, fans get a revealing look at Chicago's last Super Bowl champion through the eyes of the team's head coach. Coach Ditka vividly describes the emotion, humor, and inner turmoil of his team from quarterback Jim McMahon's arrival in training camp with a Mohawk haircut through the team's hit single, "The Super Bowl Shuffle" through their eventual Super Bowl triumph in New Orleans. Along the way, Ditka shares his memories of such characters as McMahon, Walter Payton, William "Refrigerator" Perry, Richard Dent, Wilbur Marshall, Otis Wilson and others. He reflects on his power struggles with both the front office and assistant coach Buddy Ryan. In the end, football fans will gain a new appreciation for one of the best teams assembled in the history of the sport, the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Genres: Sports

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Mike Ditka is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for 3 years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da coach reminisces about the entire superbowl season, every game and all the colorful players provide fodder for a ton of fun stories to delight the inner Chicago meathead in all of us.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't be a Bears fan and not love this book!

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Ditka! Nothing more need be said.

[Claire S]

That was a great year. I'm not into football, but still tempted.. I would think about it for my cousin in Chicago, but she's probably already got a copy.

[Brian Bundesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 'must read' for any bears fan. I bought it on Amazon for $0.01 plus shipping. No kidding.
Da Coach is great, and there were several behind the scenes stories that I didn't know before. Da Bears!