Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey has passed away at the age of 102 her family announced via a prepared team statement on Thursday.
“While we are sad, we are comforted knowing Virginia Halas McCaskey lived a long, full, faith-filled life and is now with the love of her life on earth,” the family said in a statement.
“She guided the Bears for four decades and based every business decision on what was best for Bears players, coaches, staff and fans.”
The Chicago Bears have largely been a family operation since their inception. Virginia inherited the team from her father George Halas, and subsequently gave operational control to her eldest son Michael. He was then succeeded as chairman by his brother George McCaskey back in 2011.
McCaskey had 11 children, 8 sons and 3 daughters. She is survived by her sons Patrick (Gretchen), Edward Jr. (Kathy), George (Barbara), Richard, Brian (Barbara) and Joseph, and daughters Ellen (Barney) Tonquest, Mary and Anne (Mike) Catron. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
The New York Giants were one of the first NFL teams to offer a statement of support to the McCaskey family. “The Giants organization is saddened to hear of the passing of Virginia McCaskey. We join the Bears and the rest of the NFL in celebrating the life of Mrs. McCaskey,” the club said in a statement posted to their team website.
“She was a woman of great faith who was devoted and passionate in leading the Bears as her father did. And she was a great partner to the rest of us in the league.”
With over 41 years at the helm of the franchise, McCaskey was the longest serving owner in the NFL at the time of her passing. Commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in on the matter saying “Virginia Halas McCaskey, the matriarch of the Chicago Bears and daughter of George Halas, the founder of the NFL, leaves a legacy of class, dignity, and humanity. Faith, family, and football – in that order – were her north stars and she lived by the simple adage to always ‘do the right thing.’. The Bears that her father started meant the world to her and he would be proud of the way she continued the family business with such dedication and passion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McCaskey and Halas families and Bears fans around the world.”
It’s currently unclear what, if any, changes at the executive/ownership level Chicago will undergo between now and the start of the 2025 NFL season.
Photo: Joon Han. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.