Watching a recent Bears training camp practice inside the Walter Payton Center, Chicago State University football coach Bobby Rome II reminisced about one of his former college teammates.
Rome recalled that when he arrived at the University of North Carolina in 2005, a walk-on quarterback who had joined the Tar Heels program a year earlier really impressed him. That individual was Bears coach Ben Johnson.
"Ben is very smart," Rome said. "I'm not just talking about football smart, I'm talking about overall smart, one of the smartest people I know. No. 2, he's a very reliable guy. No. 3, he's the type that when I played quarterback, he didn't mind trying to stay back with me and teach me signals and things like that. That's why I've always respected him and always followed him."
The two former North Carolina teammates will both be coaching Chicago football teams Saturday. Five hours before the Bears close their preseason against the Titans in Tennessee, Chicago State will play the first game in school history against Roosevelt University at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
"Coach Rome and the entire Chicago State Football program have our full support," Johnson said. "Having known Bobby for nearly two decades, beginning as teammates at UNC, I know that his leadership will be instrumental in the growth and development of the Chicago State program as he leads his players and staff and works to build it into a winner. We wish coach Rome and Chicago State all the best as they kick off their inaugural season."
Hired in April 2025, Rome has worked tirelessly over the past 16 months to help build the CSU program from scratch. The Cougars will compete as an independent this season before joining the Northeast Conference in 2027.
"It's been very nerve-wracking and exciting," Rome said. "I'm excited for our guys because they get an opportunity to go show everybody what we've been working on, and I'm excited for the coaches. We've worked tremendously hard, the whole entire university has, because it takes everybody to have a successful football program. Everybody's excited and waiting for us to put toe to ball."
The invitation that Johnson extended to Rome and his assistant coaches to attend practice was only part of the support the Bears organization has provided to the Chicago State football program, student body and South Side community where the school is located.
The Bears have donated gloves, cleats and other equipment; director of equipment Tony Medlin and head groundskeeper Ken Mrock have consulted with their counterparts at the school; and they have welcomed Chicago State students to career expos over the last two years at Halas Hall, including a Women in Sports Media Career Expo Aug. 8.
"The Chicago Bears are excited to support the Chicago State Football program as they kick off their inaugural season this weekend," Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren added. "We are grateful for the opportunity to support a charter program, a special group of young men and women, both on and off the field, that represent Chicago State and the greater Chicagoland region.
"We extend our well wishes to Chicago State University President Zaldwaynaka 'Z' Scott, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Monique Carroll, head football coach Bobby Rome and the Chicago State Football program, this upcoming season and beyond."
"The Bears have been very supportive," Rome said. "Any time you've got a major brand like the Chicago Bears wanting to be a part of what you're doing, it's exciting. They've been very helpful for us."
"The support, the conversations and the things they've been able to do for our players to give them resources that they may not necessarily have has been integral," added Chicago State assistant head coach and defensive line coach Kentwan Balmer, an NFL defensive lineman from 2008-11.
"The growth and the expectations of our program knowing that we have the Bears' support, the guys are playing with a lot more confidence. They know that they have the support of the city behind them. It just gives them nothing but confidence going into each and every day."
Rome revealed that the Bears helped the school secure a pair of size-16 cleats for a Chicago State player, adding, "Our kids love knowing they're getting gloves from NFL players."
Carroll has seen that excitement firsthand.
"There's not a day in practice I don't see somebody wearing orange and blue gloves," she said. "Maybe that's a little extra motivation for somebody. We could have a student-athlete from Chicago State drafted or be an undrafted free agent one day right here with the Chicago Bears. So, I think the partnership on the executive level just shows that anything is possible."
The Bears and Chicago State continue to discuss ways they can work together.
"Having a relationship with the Bears is super important to us at the university, and that relationship just continues to grow," Carroll said. "You've got a historic team and what the Bears mean to the city, and knowing that we're trying to do the same thing just on the NCAA Division I [FCS] level. It provides validation and it shows that when we have partnerships like that, it's exciting and it shows that both organizations have a lot of positive momentum."
That was clear at the Bears practice that Rome and his assistants attended.
"This is a big-time blessing to be the only Division I football program in Chicago and to be able to be at a Chicago Bears practice is amazing," Rome said. "And to have one of your former college teammates running the show, there's nothing like it."
Rome has been following Johnson's coaching career since he was a graduate assistant at Boston College in 2009.
"We're super proud of him," Rome said. "His growth and me watching him and his offense take over the league, it's been amazing. It's been very motivating for me just watching him."
