As the Chicago Bears prepare to battle the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs Saturday, the passion for the team’s leader continues to build.
Just ask the 25 people who competed in a Coach Ben Johnson look-alike contest for a $1,000 Visa gift card Thursday evening at the Wintrust Sports Complex. Hosted by the Village of Bedford Park, the event welcomed contestants ranging from adults to pint-sized participants who mostly wore headsets, baseball caps and orange and blue sweatshirts. Cradling their makeshift playbooks, they led the audience in “good, better, best” chants, screamed “hell yeah” or crossed their arms.
By the time they left the stage, most were bare-chested, having re-enacted the viral moment Johnson removed his shirt in the Bears’ locker room to celebrate the 24-15 victory against the Eagles.
The first-place winner, Matt Filipiak, was among them. The 31-year-old Elmhurst resident removed his hoodie, revealing the words “good, better, best” painted on his chest.
“My heart is beating a million miles a minute,” said Filipiak, who plans to spend the prize money on tickets to the Bears game. “I’m honored, honestly. I’ve had a few people say randomly that I look like Ben Johnson, so I took it and ran with it.”
He also won roundtrip transportation to the game from O’Hare-Midway Limousine Service, and free car washes for a year from Gas N Wash. The second-place winner took home a $500 Visa gift card and free pizza for a year from Moretti’s, and the third-place winner left with a $300 Visa gift card.
Filipiak’s ensemble also included a headset, pen and play call sheet. But he also said his natural looks helped him win.
“You’ve got to have the jawline,” he said. “Thank God I was born with that.”
The contest was organized by Adam Collopy, a business ambassador for the Village of Bedford Park. Collopy said he wanted to capitalize on the enthusiasm around the Bears and Coach Johnson by hosting a family-friendly event for the community.
“This is a game-changing, monumental time as a Bears fan,” he said. “We know there's so many other things going on and that there are struggles and hardships for people, and this has brought people together.”
The excitement was palpable during the event, which drew dozens of attendees and featured complimentary pizza from Moretti’s, raffle prizes and a DJ. Though they didn’t win, a young boy set himself apart by donning a cheese grater hat, while an older woman garnered attention by wearing a suit jacket and orange tie.
Recognized as a finalist, Wintrust Sports Complex event coordinator Emily Monahan pulled up her Bears quarter-zip to reveal a T-shirt designed to look like abs. The 22-year-old Garfield Ridge resident also sported a beard that she drew on with bronze eye shadow.
“I used the closest color I had,” she said, laughing. “It was a new [makeup] palette that I got for Christmas, so it worked out perfectly.”
A lifelong Bears fan, Monahan praised Johnson’s skills as a leader.
“He's a good coach,” she said. “He respects the guys. He has an expectation for them, but he doesn't seem like a mean coach. He seems like a guy who wants to win. His team's on board with him, and they have the same mindset.”
A newer fan, Jayden Mendoza, 11, of West Elsdon, was so eager to compete that he arrived at the complex a few hours early. He wore headphones and a vest and carried football plays that he drew on paper and cardboard.
He said his plan was to parlay the top prize on the stock market.
“The only reason why I would invest it is so the money could grow and then I could go to more Bears games” he said.
Though he didn’t win, he had a healthy attitude about the competition.
“I’m just going to try my best,” he said before the event started. “It’s not all about winning; I’m just trying to have fun because I really like how Ben Johnson has fixed the team.”
Mendoza also had a mature attitude about the Bears’ chances during the rest of the season.
“If we don’t reach the Super Bowl, I’m fine with it," he said. "We came a very long way.”
