Green Bay Packers pay tribute to late Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey

Tragedy struck the Chicago Bears recently, when Virginia Halas McCaskey passed away. She was the longtime owner of the franchise and the daughter of George Halas. She inherited the team in 1983. McCaskey died on Thursday at the age of 102 years old, and the National Football League lost one of its enduring figures over the years. The Green Bay Packers offered their condolences via their Twitter page.

The Packers send their deepest condolences to the McCaskey and Halas families, the Chicago Bears and their fans. pic.twitter.com/V9nuc8ohYa

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) February 6, 2025

“The Packers are saddened by the passing of Virginia Halas McCaskey, the loving matriarch of the Chicago Bears who carried on the incomparable legacy of her father George Halas. Virginia led the Bears with dignity and class for decades, guiding the organization’s humanitarian efforts and adding numerous chapters to the storied Packers-Bears rivalry her father started. The Packers send their deepest condolences to the McCaskey and Halas families, the Chicago Bears and their fans.”

McCaskey was born in 1923 in Chicago and is the daughter of the legendary George Halas. It was Halas, of course, who founded the Bears in 1920, making the team a charter member of the NFL. He would own the team until his death in 1983, which was when Virginia inherited the team from him. She, along with the other Halas heirs, owned 80 percent of the franchise.

“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.”

Early in McCaskey’s tenure as the Bears’ owner, the team won the Super Bowl for the 1985 season. That remains the Bears’ only Super Bowl win in franchise history, though they did also win eight NFL Championships before the Super Bowl. They would again reach the Super Bowl in 2006. However, in recent years, the team has struggled to consistently compete in a competitive NFC North and has only made the playoffs three times since that last Super Bowl appearance.

For Virginia Halas McCaskey, the Chicago Bears were often a family matter. Her husband, Ed McCaskey was the chairman and treasurer for the team. On top of that, her son Michael McCaskey was the team president from 1983 to 1999 when Virginia fired him. That all came, of course, after her father and other family members previously ran the franchise.

Over the course of her tenure, Chicago fans had given her the affectionate nickname of ‘Mama Bear.’

Since 2014, she has been the oldest owner in the four major American sports. She has also been the NFL’s longest-tenured owner since 2019. In 2023, she would be named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A mother to 11 children and a grandmother and great-grandmother to 40 more children, McCaskey was known for being a private person. As a student, she attended Drexel in Philadelphia, where she earned a degree in business management. At this time, the Chicago Bears and her family did not announce details surrounding her passing.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.