Chicago Bears Principal Owner Sadly Passes Away At The Age Of 102
In some tragic news coming out of the NFL world today, the Chicago Bears announced that their principal owner has sadly passed away at the age of 102.
She became one of the most beloved owners in the NFL with the Chicago Bears for decades, and unfortunately died Wednesday, the team said. She was 102.
Virginia McCaskey joined the team in 1983
When Virginia McCaskey joined the Bears in 1983, she immediately became the team's longest-tenured family owner.
As owner, she took over operations following the Oct. 31, 1983 death of her father George S. Halas, a founding member and longtime owner, coach, and player of the club.
Born in 1923, McCaskey grew up steeped in football, with her father's legacy to inherit and head the franchise for decades.
Even though she remained the principal owner, leadership roles did transfer through the family, as her son Michael took over as chairman in 1999, and then her son George in 2011.
Chicago Bears team Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey passed away today at the age of 102. Mrs. McCaskey has served as the owner of the Bears since her father and team founder, George S. Halas, passed away on October 31, 1983.
You can read the team's full statement below.
«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. «She guided the Bears for four decades and based every business decision on what was best for Bears players, coaches, staff and fans.»
Over the last 41-plus years, Mrs. McCaskey continued the steadfast mission set forth by her father to uphold the values of the City of Chicago, its people and its fans.
Mrs. McCaskey understood, not only her father's love and appreciation of football and the team which he played for, coached and owned, but also the love of the Chicago Bears by its fans. She always kept in mind what the Bears meant to the City of Chicago and what the city meant to the Bears.
She had a passion for the team that matched her father's, celebrating every win with grace while quietly suffering every loss. She made it a point to attend every game she could, both home and away, and was alive for eight of the Bears nine World Championships. As owner of the team, Mrs. McCaskey oversaw the franchise's ninth World Championship and first Super Bowl title in 1985.
Installing the values of faith and family in every person she met, not just her own family, was the essence of her life's work. Mrs. McCaskey stated she never felt like a qualified football mind but focused on supporting others to do the best job for the club, team and its fan base. Her focus was never to lead the Bears organization rather to instill her faith in those who did. She wanted to help everyone who touched the organization, staff, coaches, players and fans, realize they were all a part of one big family. Mrs. McCaskey hoped that Bears fans had as much faith in the team as she did in them. Through it all, Mrs. McCaskey couldn't imagine her life as anything else than what it was.
She was born to Min and George Halas in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the oldest of two children, along with her younger brother, George S. «Mugs» Halas, Jr. Mrs. McCaskey attended Chicago public schools until 8th grade when she transferred to the parish school at St. Hilary in Chicago. Her high school studies were conducted at St. Scholastica Academy in Chicago.
Mrs. McCaskey went on to study at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa., where she met her future husband, Edward W. McCaskey. The two married on February 2, 1943, in St. Margaret Mary's Church in Bel Air, Md. before Mr. McCaskey would go into military service in World War II after his ROTC training.
After her husband went into service, Mrs. McCaskey lived with his mother and her family in Lancaster, Pa. The couple's first three of 11 children were born there. The couple returned to Illinois in 1949 and lived quietly in Des Plaines. Mr. McCaskey started working with the Bears organization in 1967 at the request of Halas. Mrs. McCaskey focused on raising the couple's children, but life changed over the course of four years after the sudden passing of her younger brother in 1979 and the passing of her father in 1983.
After the passing of her father, Mrs. McCaskey found herself as the principal owner of the Chicago Bears franchise. She never sought the spotlight. She understood the importance of emphasizing to family members how important the legacy of the franchise was, not in terms of money or value, but in terms of what the team meant to people in Chicago and beyond.
Mrs. McCaskey recognized difficult and unpopular decisions sometimes had to be made but trusted that conviction would guide all those involved through difficult times. She watched first-hand as the league started from a struggling sports business to America's most popular sport, valuing her family's friendships with other team owners including the Mara family, the Rooney family, the Bidwill family and the Brown family.
At the core of everything she did was Mrs. McCaskey's faith. A devout Catholic, she always reflected on what God would want her to do in daily life. She focused on trying to help encourage people to be better to one another and once stated she was always working on her faith through good times and bad. She was known to cherish Christmas and Thanksgiving family gatherings and provided family and many friends with Nativity sets as a symbol of their faith and the true meaning of the holidays.
Her commitment to the betterment of the Chicagoland community can be seen through the establishment of the Bears Care program in 2005. Since that time, Bears Care has issued grants totaling more than $31.5 million to 225 qualifying agencies to improve the quality of life for people in the Chicagoland community, especially disadvantaged children and their families, through targeted programs supporting education, youth athletics and medical research and health awareness programs focusing on breast and ovarian cancer. Mrs. McCaskey also generously supported numerous other worthy causes.
Mrs. McCaskey had 11 children, eight sons and three 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. Her husband passed away in 2003. Their son, Timothy, passed in 2011 and Michael passed in 2020. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Over the last 41-plus years, Mrs. McCaskey continued the steadfast mission set forth by her father to uphold the values of the City of Chicago, its people and its fans.
Mrs. McCaskey understood, not only her father's love and appreciation of football and the team which he played for, coached and owned, but also the love of the Chicago Bears by its fans. She always kept in mind what the Bears meant to the City of Chicago and what the city meant to the Bears.
She had a passion for the team that matched her father's, celebrating every win with grace while quietly suffering every loss. She made it a point to attend every game she could, both home and away, and was alive for eight of the Bears nine World Championships. As owner of the team, Mrs. McCaskey oversaw the franchise's ninth World Championship and first Super Bowl title in 1985.
Installing the values of faith and family in every person she met, not just her own family, was the essence of her life's work. Mrs. McCaskey stated she never felt like a qualified football mind but focused on supporting others to do the best job for the club, team and its fan base. Her focus was never to lead the Bears organization rather to instill her faith in those who did. She wanted to help everyone who touched the organization, staff, coaches, players and fans, realize they were all a part of one big family. Mrs. McCaskey hoped that Bears fans had as much faith in the team as she did in them. Through it all, Mrs. McCaskey couldn't imagine her life as anything else than what it was.
She was born to Min and George Halas in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the oldest of two children, along with her younger brother, George S. «Mugs» Halas, Jr. Mrs. McCaskey attended Chicago public schools until 8th grade when she transferred to the parish school at St. Hilary in Chicago. Her high school studies were conducted at St. Scholastica Academy in Chicago.
Mrs. McCaskey went on to study at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa., where she met her future husband, Edward W. McCaskey. The two married on February 2, 1943, in St. Margaret Mary's Church in Bel Air, Md. before Mr. McCaskey would go into military service in World War II after his ROTC training.
After her husband went into service, Mrs. McCaskey lived with his mother and her family in Lancaster, Pa. The couple's first three of 11 children were born there. The couple returned to Illinois in 1949 and lived quietly in Des Plaines. Mr. McCaskey started working with the Bears organization in 1967 at the request of Halas. Mrs. McCaskey focused on raising the couple's children, but life changed over the course of four years after the sudden passing of her younger brother in 1979 and the passing of her father in 1983.
After the passing of her father, Mrs. McCaskey found herself as the principal owner of the Chicago Bears franchise. She never sought the spotlight. She understood the importance of emphasizing to family members how important the legacy of the franchise was, not in terms of money or value, but in terms of what the team meant to people in Chicago and beyond.
Mrs. McCaskey recognized difficult and unpopular decisions sometimes had to be made but trusted that conviction would guide all those involved through difficult times. She watched first-hand as the league started from a struggling sports business to America's most popular sport, valuing her family's friendships with other team owners including the Mara family, the Rooney family, the Bidwill family and the Brown family.
At the core of everything she did was Mrs. McCaskey's faith. A devout Catholic, she always reflected on what God would want her to do in daily life. She focused on trying to help encourage people to be better to one another and once stated she was always working on her faith through good times and bad. She was known to cherish Christmas and Thanksgiving family gatherings and provided family and many friends with Nativity sets as a symbol of their faith and the true meaning of the holidays.
Her commitment to the betterment of the Chicagoland community can be seen through the establishment of the Bears Care program in 2005. Since that time, Bears Care has issued grants totaling more than $31.5 million to 225 qualifying agencies to improve the quality of life for people in the Chicagoland community, especially disadvantaged children and their families, through targeted programs supporting education, youth athletics and medical research and health awareness programs focusing on breast and ovarian cancer. Mrs. McCaskey also generously supported numerous other worthy causes.
Mrs. McCaskey had 11 children, eight sons and three 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. Her husband passed away in 2003. Their son, Timothy, passed in 2011 and Michael passed in 2020. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
We extend our deepest condolences to Virginia's entire family and all her friends during this tough time.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 6 | 62 ANSWERS Chicago Bears Principal Owner Sadly Passes Away At The Age Of 102 Rest in peace Virginia | ||
| R.I.P | 62 | 100 % |
| List of polls | ||
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