It was a packed house in Bedford Park Thursday evening as the village, in cooperation with Wintrust Sports Complex, hosted a Ben Johnson look-alike contest.
Johnson is wrapping up his first season as head coach of the Chicago Bears and, judging by the turnout, fans are welcoming him and his winning ways.
“This was a great event between the Village of Bedford Park, Wintrust and Moretti’s,” said Adam Taylor, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Wintrust Sports Complex-Bedford Park. “There was a fantastic turnout, and it was a fun, entertaining way to build anticipation and celebrate the Bears making the playoffs.
“Our venue was happy to provide the space, and we are with everyone hoping that the team goes deep into the playoffs. The Village of Bedford Park shines as the presenting sponsor of ESPN Chicago’s weekly post-game interview with Jeff Joniak and Coach Ben Johnson. This was a fitting event and everyone had a great time.”
Twenty-five contestants took their turn on stage for a short stint to show off their best look and impersonation of Johnson, who has only been head coach for a year.
Three judges narrowed it down to five finalists to become the Good, Better, and Best look-alike, a take on Johnson’s coaching mantra.
In the end, it was Matt Filipiak, of Elmhurst, who came out as the Best to win the first prize. Dustin Anderson was judged Better and Aaron Rozanski was Good. Emily Monahan from Garfield Ridge was one of the other finalists.The name of the fifth finalist was unavailable.
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest, ‘til your good gets better, and your better gets best!” is Johnson’s signature phrase that many of the contestants shouted out while imitating him by wearing headsets and holding a clipboard.
Filipiak said he just had to enter the contest.
“My brother told me he heard about it (the contest) this morning,” he said.
“My brother, and many people on social media have told me that I look like the coach, so I decided to do it.”
When asked if he already had tickets to the game, Filipiak said he didn’t, “But I’m going to get them,” he added.
Adam Collopy, Co-Business Officer/Ambassador for the Village of Bedford Park, who was the emcee of the event, explained how he came up with the idea, which he says has been by far the most memorable and impactful event that he has been fortunate to be a part of in his professional career.
“Since The Wintrust Sports Complex is such a family friendly venue that caters to youth sports and community activities….for the past 3-4 months…I was trying to come up with an idea that could bring the community together in a very fun way,” Collopy said.
“Once Coach Johnson ripped his shirt off in the locker room in Philly, my wife, three boys and I had so much fun chanting Good, Better, Best many, many times. I then thought about how iconic Coach Ditka is…still to this day. Then I came up with the idea to host a Coach Johnson Look-A-Like Contest that featured very significant prizes. I shared the idea with a few in mid-December, and as soon as Caleb Williams threw that beautiful walk-off TD to DJ Moore against the Packers in December, I knew that the time was right to green light the idea.”
“Our goal was to make it more attainable for football fans to attend a game…especially a playoff game. I then worked with several of our business partners including Moretti’s in Bedford Park, Gas N Wash in Bedford Park, and OML Worldwide Transportation to develop amazing prizes that also included Visa gift cards that the Good, Better and Best Costume winners can put towards playoff tickets.”
“Thanks to the help of many, including some amazing coverage by the press, we had such a fun and amazing family friendly event that included free parking, complimentary pizza from Moretti’s, complimentary soft drinks and many, many raffle prizes. On behalf of the Village of Bedford Park and the Wintrust Sports Complex, thanks to everyone for making this such a memorable event!”
