The Best Football Audiobooks to Get Into the Greatest Minds and Controversies of the Gridiron

There’s absolutely no doubt that football is an inherently dangerous sport. But it wasn’t until very recently that we truly discovered not only how dangerous, but how life altering the contact sport is. But the reason that we didn’t know this until the last two decades or so, is that the NFL, the leading body behind football in America, made a conscious effort to cover up studies that contradicted them. In 2005, the NFL claimed in a study that professional football players do not sustain frequent repetitive blows to the brain on a regular basis. They knew this was a lie and this report was their attempt at a cover up. League of Denial is the story of that effort. Based on investigations from ESPN reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, League of Denial is a scathing indictment of the NFL and their complicity in the CTE scandal and the players that allowed them to get away with it.

Steve Young. Tom Brady. Joe Montana. Many observers of the NFL would argue that these three can be considered the greatest quarterbacks of all time, in that order. But for the most part, none of them were expected to reach the heights that they did—especially Young. A Mormon and straight-A student with an incredible memory, Young did not fit what the traditional quarterback looked like to that point. But he would go on to prove his doubters wrong. Very, very wrong. QB is a tell-all story from one of the most recognizable personalities in NFL history. Young reveals the issues and insecurities that plagued him growing up, and during his time in San Francisco and the massive hurdles he had to overcome in the process. In QB, you’ll learn how Young became the man that is he today, and more.

NFL Coach Bill Parcels will always be in the conversation for one of the greatest coaches of all time. His ability to take struggling franchises into perennial contenders was one of the skills that made him so famous. From the New York Giants, to the New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys, Parcels made an indelible mark across the NFL during his decades-plus tenure. Parcels: A Football Life, takes listeners behind the scenes of one of the greatest minds in NFL coaching history. Covering his various tenures for multiple teams, this is an introspective, fascinating and spare-no-details account of the NFL great.

NFL legend Michael Lombardi literally has the highest award in the NFL named after him, if you ever had any doubts about him impact. The Lombardi trophy, is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl every year, and represents the highest achievement any player and coach can earn. And during his time as a coach, Lombardi won this award three times. Straight from the mind of the legend himself, Gridiron Genius is a first-hand account of Lombardi’s time in the NFL and the strategies and philosophies he implemented along the way. From scouting players, in-game adjustments, and game preparation, this is a painstakingly detailed account of the game of football. As a plus, it features a foreword from one of the winningest coaches in history, Bill Belichick. Two great NFL minds in one audiobook, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Besides Bill Parcels and Michael Lombardi, who are both featured on this list, Bill Belichick has cemented himself as one of the greatest coaches of all time. Winning 6 Super Bowls as the coach of the New England Patriots, Belichick is the winningest Super Bowl coach of all time—no small feat. In Belichick, New York Times best-selling author Ian O’Connor attempt to get into the mind of one of the most secretive and close-to-the-vest coach around. From his relationship with management, and players, most notably Tom Brady, Belichick features never-before-disclosed details about the coach. Based on interviews with those who know him best, this is a detailed portrait of one of the most legendary voices in NFL history.

Based on the real story of football player Michael Oher, The Blind Side is half-technical football study and half-heartwarming biography. Those listeners hoping to learn about the evolution of the left tackle position won’t be disappointed, and those expecting an emotional telling of Oher’s journey won’t be either. We love this selection for the way it combines an inspiring true story with incisive analysis of football as a sport. It’s told with unexpected sensitivity and simmering anger at the way society sets up boys like Oher to fail by author Michael Lewis—who penned best seller Moneyball—and augmented by the superb narration of Stephen Hoye. Hoye brings each person to life without making them a caricature, and the way he alternates between Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy—the woman who takes Oher into her family when he’s in desperate need—is a remarkable display of talent.

Urban Frank Meyer led the Ohio State Buckeyes to capture the title in the inaugural NCAA College Football Playoff Championship in 2014. In Above the Line, he details the tough processes and everyday practices behind his undeniably incredible coaching. Meyer lets listeners in on the secrets of his success (like the Event + Response = Outcome formula he lives by) that transformed him into a college football icon and gained him the respect and loyalty of his team and peers. Narrated by Jason Culp (who is an experienced narrator in the leadership genre), Above the Line is a deliberately paced journey that guides listeners through the high-pressure world of college football, offering up lessons we can use in our own lives along the way. Whether listeners connect with this selection as an exciting underdog sports story or a manifesto on leadership, this audiobook stands out as an inspiring and informative listen.

This audiobook is informed partially by conversations between journalist Steve Jamison and legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, and partially by reminiscences from Craig Walsh, Bill’s son. Drawing on these rich interviews, The Score Takes Care of Itself is a poignant lesson in discipline, motivation, and principle. Behind the microphone is three time Audie Award-winner and AudioFile Golden Voice Dick Hill, who brings a nostalgic tone to this moving story about how Bill Walsh brought the 49ers from the bottom of the NFL heap to five-time Super Bowl champions. Hill does an excellent job conveying the admiration Craig Walsh displays for his famous father, keeping this balance of football anecdotes, strategy, and business acumen beating with real human heart the entire time.

Pat Tillman is more famous for leaving professional football than for playing it. When he walked away from his multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the military, his decision shocked fans and reflected a troubled conscience in the wake of 9/11 that inspired in so many Americans an unignorable moral calling to protect. Tillman’s death by friendly fire two years later and the subsequent cover up of those events by the US Army reveal a complex, riveting story told expertly by Jon Krakauer, best selling author of Into the Wild. Narrated by Scott Brick, whose award winning career boasts such accomplishments as Moneyball and the entire Bourne series, Where Men Win Glory is as gripping and more unbelievable than many fiction stories. Brick navigates different sources—journals, letters, and interviews—and differentiates each well enough to keep the story followable but keeps it subtle enough not to distract.

One of the most intelligent coaches in NCAA and NFL football, Pete Carroll has always stressed that for him, success is not about winning, but about competing. In Win Forever, Carroll gives his take on developing and fostering a competitor’s mindset within a team and within ourselves ahead of his return to the NFL as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks (a position he still holds today). His personal insights are made all the more powerful by his personal narration; in moments of real energy, it feels like a locker room pep talk. Listeners are treated to an inside look at Carroll’s recruiting, team culture-shaping, and training strategies, learning what keeps Carroll’s leadership effective during a hot streak and a rut alike. At just four hours, Win Forever is the perfect length for some quick, efficient motivation and insight into one of the most tactical minds in football.

Lou Holtz is one of the most successful coaches in college football, but through this selection it becomes clear that his legacy will be much greater and more personal than he could imagine. In this title, listeners can expect a frank telling of Holtz’s tenure as a college football coach from turning around the team at North Carolina State to his national championship bids at Notre Dame, along with a sharp wit and galvanizing message. One of the best parts of this audiobook is Holtz’s narration; when he was young, narrating over five hours of audio would have been his worst nightmare as he grappled with a pronounced speech impediment. And with that in mind, hearing his story in the voice he worked so hard to train and feel confident in is truly something special.

College football is not merely the little sibling to pro football; it’s a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right, with many of the same dynamics that move and shake the NFL. In The System, investigative journalists Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian pull back the curtain on this industry, revealing the often illicit way cash flows into team organizations: from the extreme pressure younger players are under and the special accommodations they’re given while in college to the ways big time NCAA football can eat up anything else valuable in an academic institution. Narrated by Mark Deakins in a style that recalls the strong presence of a newscaster but doesn’t fall into exaggeration, The System is a riveting, fast-paced exposé that’s nearly impossible to pause.

Despite how integral the NFL feels to American life these days, taking football to the national stage looked like a shaky endeavor at the start for founders Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell. The League tells the story of the risk those men took at the start, and the ingenious way they generated attention through rivalry at critical points in the league’s early years. As 2020 marked the 100th birthday of the NFL, revisiting its history is even more momentous and for those already familiar with the story, all the more nostalgic. Precise, commanding, and slightly coy narration by Daniel Thomas May infuses this selection with the adventurous spirit the NFL founders embodied when they took a leap of faith one century ago.

When Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), he changed the world of contact sports forever. Caused by repeated blows to the head over time, CTE can cause premature memory loss, instability, depression, and erratic behavior. With his research, Dr. Omalu has essentially drawn a straight line from contact sports, particularly football, to the development of CTE. Dr. Omalu’s concern shines through even the most hard-to-hear sections of Truth Doesn’t Have a Side, and two time Audie Award-nominee Ron Butler narrates the words of Dr. Omalu with sensitivity and undeniable grace. Even as fact after harrowing fact is revealed and the story of Dr. Omalu’s attempts to engage the football community on the dangers of CTE unfolds, listeners can expect a measured and compassionate delivery. This is a paradigm-shifting title that provides perspective that’s essential for any football fan to hear.

This number one New York Times best seller is H.G. Bissinger’s account of his year in Odessa, Texas spent observing the way the local football team (the Permian Panthers) influenced and related to its community. Narrator Tom Stechschulte has worked for over two decades as an audiobook narrator across genres; his work on this all-time favorite showcases some of the best of his voice acting and ability to bring every character to distinct life. The basis for the hit TV series by the same name, Friday Night Lights is a captivating account of not just high school football, but also of one town’s struggles with poverty, racism, and the pressures of scrutiny. In this 25th anniversary edition, listeners hear from the author in a special afterword about this title’s influence that adds even more depth and nuance to this emotional portrait.