Author pens book on ‘Da Bears’

Delsohn to sign copies Saturday in Westlake


Steve Delsohn

Steve Delsohn

They were great. They were entertaining. They were larger than life.

The 1985 Chicago Bears spring to life in Steve Delsohn’s book, “Da Bears! How The 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFLHistory.”

For Delsohn, a Chicago native who lives in Thousand Oaks, the project became a labor of love.

He spent countless hours researching, interviewing, reviewing and rewriting a rollicking story of an all-time football team to remember.

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book,” Delsohn said.

While in high school, Delsohn worked in the bowels of Soldier Field, selling hot dogs and soda to the Chicago faithful from 1973- 76. He also spent time vending for Chicago’s other sports teams, including the Cubs, White Sox and Northwestern football.

In “Da Bears!” the 52-year-old author describes Chicago’s exploits on and off the field.

Did you know quarterback Jim McMahon drank beers the same day the Bears played Miami on Monday Night Football?

Or that legendary running back Walter “Sweetness” Payton was a world-class prankster?

Or that defensive linemen Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael would go to biker bars looking for fights?

Or that head coach Mike Ditka cursed out punter Maury Buford during a film session, but Ditka didn’t know, or care to remember, Buford’s name?

It’s all in the book—and much more.

In its most illuminating moments, Delsohn delves into the acrimonious relationship between Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the father of current Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

“One of the biggest surprises was the intensity of the rift between Mike Ditka and his defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan,” the author said.

“Everyone had an idea they didn’t like each other. Until I started reporting, I didn’t know how intensely they disliked each other.”

The coaches ignored each other most of the time. They’d curse each other out on the sidelines during games and nearly exchanged blows during halftime of the Miami outing, the Bears’ only blemish in a spectacular 18-1 season.

“The marriage couldn’t last— and it didn’t last,” Delsohn said.

Three days after the Super Bowl XX win against the outclassed New England Patriots at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Ryan accepted a head coaching gig with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Delsohn, a varsity assistant basketball coach at La Reina, said he enjoyed the players’ candor 25 years after their historic Super Bowl romp.

He especially enjoyed talking with McMahon.

“As a rule, (McMahon) thinks writers are morons. He doesn’t do a lot of sit-down interviews,” Delsohn said. “I was lucky enough to get him to agree. We had a pretty good rapport.

“When McMahon does interviews, he’s great because he has no censor. He says whatever’s on his mind.”

Delsohn, who works for ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife, Mary Kay, and their three daughters, Emma, Hannah and Grace.

Emma and Hannah Delsohn play basketball at La Reina.

The author, who collaborated on a book with former Browns legend Jim Brown and also wrote about Bob Knight and the Notre Dame football team, is working on an oral history of the Duke men’s basketball team since head coach Mike Krzyzewski took over the program.

Delsohn will sign copies of “Da Bears!” and talk about the book at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in The Promenade at Westlake, 100 Promenade Way.

The 1985 Bears were a special team. They will always be remembered as unique champions.

“They were characters,” Delsohn said. “And not only were they just destroying people on the field, they were clearly having fun while they were doing it.”

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