'We couldn't be happier': Ben Johnson, family feeling the love in new home

Story by Gabby Hajduk

Goosebumps.

That's the best way Ben Johnson can describe the feeling he experienced throughout his first 24 hours as the Bears' new head coach.

He felt those goosebumps on the plane from Detroit to Chicago in the early hours of Tuesday morning. They lingered as he strode into Halas Hall for the first time at 10:15 a.m., accompanied by his wife, Jessica, and three children – Emory, Kennedy and Halle. And they certainly strengthened about 45 minutes later once he received an enthusiastic welcome from a group of Bears staff members in the lobby — the same place where the history of George Halas and the franchise Papa Bear founded adorn the walls.

Johnson felt some emotions bubble up during that unexpected moment — one he shared with new faces in his new home. While the experience was unfamiliar, that immediate feeling of family and warmth was the exact reason why Johnson chose Chicago.

"It's a surreal experience," Johnson told ChicagoBears.com. "Of course, it's always been a dream of mine to be able to lead a franchise at this level. But this particular one is iconic. It's got such a rich history. To walk into this facility, it really dawned on me that now it's here. To be in front of the people and get a standing ovation, it's hard to express how you feel in that moment. Words really don't do it justice."

When the Bears conducted their first and only virtual interview with Johnson via Zoom 12 days ago, the former Lions offensive coordinator gathered everything he needed to know about the franchise. He gained instant clarity on one of the most important pieces in taking the leap: the people.

Johnson cited the "family atmosphere" the Bears embody as a selling point. To detect that vibe through a multi-hour video call was one thing, but to experience it firsthand almost immediately upon his arrival — well, that triggered more goosebumps.

The most impactful part of that moment, though, came when his son, Kennedy — with a Bears stuffed animal in hand — walked up to join him in the middle of the lobby, smiling up at his father. Jessica and their two daughters followed behind and shared an embrace with Johnson as the claps and cheers quieted down.

"I'm just so happy my family was able to be here and experience that as well because it's so important for them to understand," Johnson said. "It's hard to uproot a great situation like we had and for them to come in and feel that same love, it really means the world."

While there's a plethora of people that helped Johnson reach this point in his career, from mentors and peers at Boston College, the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, Johnson acknowledged that his family is "one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle."

After building a life for themselves and their children in Detroit, Ben and Jessica's decision to make such a significant life change required trust and faith. When the Johnsons boarded their flight to Chicago Tuesday morning, hours prior to Ben signing his contract, it officially signaled a change in the family's future.

"It was emotional," Johnson said. "That place had been so special to my family. It's hard for a mother to want to uproot her kids when they were really thriving in that location. It's a hard thing to deal with. I know she was feeling emotional, and I'm so grateful that she had the understanding and the ability to say, 'hey I trust you and I'll go along with you.'

"The best thing we could've done is to have [the kids] come with us this week, and now they're completely engulfed in what this place is about. We couldn't be happier."

A small piece of comfort in the whirlwind of a week came from Johnson and his family possessing a prior love for Chicago. While growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Johnson and his younger brother were avid watchers of the Cubs on WGN in the 1990s.

His brother went on to put his name on the waiting list for Cubs season tickets after he graduated high school in 2007. Several years later, he secured four tickets, allowing Johnson and his family to take a yearly trip to Chicago for a Cubs series throughout the past decade.

Sitting in the bleachers each summer at Wrigley Field created a bond between the Johnson family and Chicago — one that made the decision to accept the Bears head-coaching job even sweeter.

"It doesn't take long to realize that this place is special," Johnson said. "These people are special. This is exactly where I wanted to raise my family, my kids. I know we're going to have so much fun living up here in Chicago."

While it's clear that family is at the root of who Johnson is as a person, husband and father, it's also a staple in his coaching philosophies and intent as a leader.

One of the first messages Johnson delivered as the Bears' head coach, when speaking to the staff at Halas Hall Tuesday, was that there's "nothing more important than this locker room."

"The people are what make a place successful," Johnson said. "Ownership, GM, head coach, support staff, but really it's the players at the end of the day that are going to win games for us. We need to invest all of our time and energy into them. We're sinking into them. How do we serve them best?

"They need to feel that because the environment that we're looking to create is going to be hard and is going to be demanding. They need to understand we have their best interests at heart. If they understand that and they feel that, we're going to get the best out of them."

Seeing those types of bonds between the players themselves and the organization, as well as seeing the entire locker room thrive, are Johnson's goals. He knows winning and long-term success will not come without relationships built on steady ground through communication and honesty.

Johnson learned the value of communication and honesty during his senior year of college and his final season as a walk-on quarterback at the University of North Carolina. He realized how much weight the relationships he built in and around the locker room throughout his years of playing football actually carried in his life. It inspired him to join the coaching ranks.

No matter the level he was coaching at — high school, college or the NFL — Johnson wanted to be a part of fostering those relationships and contributing to a culture.

"Once you get into it, that competitive nature and that competitive fire stays strong in you," he said. "The best times in coaching are in the locker room with those players, being involved with them each and every day. As you are as a competitor, you want to continue to climb and continue to prove yourself, and you want to go against the best. It didn't take long for me to realize that becoming a head coach would be the ultimate goal."

But Wednesday, when reflecting back on 21-year-old Ben Johnson's hopes and dreams, the now NFL head coach still thinks that version of himself would be in awe of this position.

"I don't know if I would've seen it coming," Johnson admitted. "Certainly not. Initially you dip your toe in the water and you're not sure exactly where it would lead. You get into coaching and you want to win because that fire is still there as a competitor, but ultimately you want to build up the people around you."

It's those quick moments of reflection during a life-altering event that bring back those goosebumps. Johnson's journey to becoming the Bears' head coach was long and challenging. There were highs, such as promotions in multiple NFL organizations, NFC North championships and playoff runs. But there were also lows, including his self-proclaimed "darkest moment" when he lost his job in Miami, a moment he described as "something that I loved [get] ripped away from me."

All those peaks and valleys, however, continuously fueled his ultimate goal. And they created confidence.

Confidence in the path he followed. Confidence in his work ethic. Confidence in his vision to elevate the Bears.

Above all, he's confident in the destination he chose. Confident in what the NFL's charter franchise can provide him. Confident in what he can bring to Chicago.

"I know what this city is about," Johnson said. "It just simply did not take me a long time to decide that this is where I wanted to be, where I wanted my family to be. And these are the people that I wanted to be around."