Where Did Ben Johnson’s 'Good, Better, Best' Come From?

A video was shared during the Bears-Eagles game on Friday, showcasing the A.C. Reynolds locker room from 1999 doing the notable chant. Although Johnson was still in junior high at the time, it is safe to assume the war cry survived throughout his high school years.

“Good, better, best” is said to have existed since the 1800s, but Johnson learned the tradition through Bobby Poss, his head coach while at A.C. Reynolds. Poss believed that “postgame celebrations lacked ‘rah-rah,’” so he instilled the chant after hearing it from his friend Richard Bell.

The phrase has been passed around for centuries, but it has arguably never been as big as right now, thanks to the Bears.

Origination of "Good, Better, Best" feat. Ben Johnson's high school team
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Rallying the Team

When Johnson was hired to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, there was little doubt about his excellent offensive play-calling. The biggest question mark was whether he could be a leader of men both on and off the field.

Johnson first used “good, better, best” after a preseason win against the Bills. It was met with some skepticism among players in the locker room.

Veteran safety Kevin Byard claims “‘When [Johnson] first did it, we were kind of like, what’s going on?’” Johnson sensed the confusion, saying, “They kind of looked at me like I was crazy the first time or two.”

Now, though, the players are completely bought in. And the passion from the team and front office has visibly grown after each win. Just look at the difference after their first win of the season against the Cowboys in Week 3…

…and from their most recent victory against the Eagles in Week 13:

“’The more you win and the more you feed into it, it becomes part of your culture and your identity of the team,’” said tight end Cole Kmet of the chant. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent further said, “‘It’s contagious.’”

Injecting a City With Belief…and Food

Johnson has safely put that “questionable leader” narrative to rest for the city of Chicago.

Bears fans eagerly wait after each victory to see their team on social media with a coach uplifting his players, giving out game balls, and, of course, hearing “good, better, best.” The phrase has taken off so much that official merchandise with the three words has been released.

Most recently, Johnson has even helped feed Chicago. “The Wieners Circle,” a local hot dog restaurant, gave away free hot dogs after Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Cowboys on Sept. 21.

Nearly a month later, on Oct. 22, they offered the same promotion if at any point Johnson took off his shirt during or after any victory.

Well, after over a month of waiting…

“Any time you get a chance to feed a city, you want to do it, so man of the people,” said Johnson at Monday’s press conference.

With Johnson’s team at 9-3 and in first place in the NFC, he certainly is a man of the people. And if he can instill “good, better, best” into the squad and walk out of Lambeau Field in a pivotal matchup against the Packers with a win, the city of Chicago may just explode.