Today, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Bears owner and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey. For more details, please read our initial report on the news.
The death of Virginia Halas McCaskey means that the NFL has lost a legacy. Mrs. McCaskey had been the Chicago Bears’ principal owner since 1983 when her father, George Halas, passed away. The Bears matriarch has seen the NFL evolve from an upstart American professional sports league and grow into a global superpower. Virginia was also witness to so many of the league’s most iconic games. She was a trailblazer. A true one-of-one. I am sure her family and friends will miss her.
Reactions to Virginia McCaskey’s passing
I have rounded up some of the best things and most interesting anecdotes I’ve read in the wake of the news that Bears owner and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey has passed away. And I have also added some commentary for the sake of reflection.
Don Pierson, Chicago Tribune:
Although she held the power to affect day-to-day decisions, she preferred the role of cheerleader and caretaker to power broker. But nobody made a major decision without first consulting her.
When the team fired GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman in December 2014, Bears Chairman George McCaskey described his mother as “pissed off … she’s fed up with mediocrity.”
Always reserved in public, McCaskey did not display her father’s irascibility. But she demonstrated the same grit and determination to keep the Bears a viable small family business in an age of implausible financial growth.
One of the things that always stood out to me about Virginia McCaskey was you could tell the state of the Bears was on the field based on her facial expressions in the brief moments she was in the spotlight. In a way, Mrs. McCaskey was a throwback with her stoicism in ownership.
Dan Pompei, The Athletic:
One of the highlights of her football life came during her college days at Drexel University, traveling by train from Philadelphia to Washington to watch her Bears defeat the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 championship game. Afterward, fans tore down the goal posts and she was given some of the splinters. For years, she kept them in her jewelry box.
Not all of her memories were so sublime. When she attended the 1956 NFL championship game at the Polo Grounds in New York, the Bears lost to the Giants 47-7, and it was so cold she said her nylon stockings disintegrated except for the seam in the back.
Losses often brought her to tears, and she frequently was frustrated with the Bears. Nothing rankled her more than falling to the Packers. She said she grew up waiting for Don Hutson to retire. She died waiting for Aaron Rodgers to retire.
In quiet moments, I think about the history Virginia McCaskey saw during her time on this plane of existence. To be alive for almost the entirety of the Chicago Bears’ history is unlike anything any other modern pro sports franchise owner can claim.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun-Times:
Even into her late 90s, Virginia was an active part of the franchise. Her sedan with a bumper sticker that read “Pray the Rosary” was often seen parked near the entrance of the facility named after her father.
The league’s oldest owner since the Bills’ Ralph Wilson died in 2014, Virginia and George traveled to NFL owners meetings and to Bears road games, where they sat in the owner’s box. She made fewer and fewer such trips in recent years.
She made her most public appearance in years on the final day of the Bears 100 Weekend Celebration in June 2018. She charmed her way through a roundtable discussion, joking that the team’s throwback socks “don’t turn me on” and claiming that, as a girl, she paid more attention to the players wearing the uniform.
The Bears 100 celebration was one of those “you have to be there” moments. And I was lucky enough to be there. Vibes at the event were immaculate. Hopes were high after a 12-win season that yielded a division title. Even with the bitter taste of defeat after Cody Parkey’s game-ending misfired kick fresh in everyone’s mouths, the blend of nostalgia and hope for a bright future was alive and well — and Virginia McCaskey’s presence helped tie things together.
MORE REACTION FROM AROUND THE SPORTS WORLD
A statement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the passing of Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey: pic.twitter.com/J00vAbIS51
— Patrick K. Flowers (@PatrickKFlowers) February 6, 2025We are saddened to hear about the passing of @ChicagoBears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey.Virginia took over principal ownership of the Bears in 1983 following the passing of her father, George Halas, and her impact on the football community will never be forgotten.Our… pic.twitter.com/fOPwPpw3zU
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) February 6, 2025Condolences to the McCaskey family & the entire Chicago Bears organization. Virginia McCaskey was much more than just George Halas’ daughter. She impacted so many. RIP.
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) February 6, 2025A statement from Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan (via ESPN):
“I wish peace and comfort to the McCaskey Family and everyone within the Chicago Bears organization upon the passing of Virginia Halas McCaskey. The Bears were my first football love, and many years later it would be my immense privilege to learn from Mrs. McCaskey and her family as I explored a future in the NFL. Mrs. McCaskey did everything the right way, and her focus on family and the people in her life only begin to honor her legacy. We have lost a legend, but her positive impact on our game and league will last forever.”
Ron Rivera and Kyle Long among the many former #Bears players mourning the loss of Virginia McCaskey“She epitomized everything about being a Chicago Bear”“There was nothing like having the matriarch around. She was like the queen”More: t.co/XxQVU1EID2 pic.twitter.com/CTjhTIh0Yz
— GNSportsTV (@GNSportsTV) February 6, 2025Rest in peace, Virginia McCaskey, one of the kindest, most loving, & thoughtful individuals I've ever had the privilege to meet. You always welcomed my family into yours with open arms, treating us as if we were your own. Our hearts are heavy, & our thoughts & prayers are with… pic.twitter.com/lTEBplhfmS
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) February 6, 2025Sean Hammond, Daily Herald:
Few people have witnessed as much football history as McCaskey has up close. She accompanied her father on the Red Grange barnstorming tour in 1925 and attended the first indoor NFL game at Chicago Stadium in 1932. She was in charge of the organization during the 1985 Super Bowl run.
.@peanuttillman shares his favorite memory of Virginia McCaskey? pic.twitter.com/L8e46V0Y2K
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) February 6, 2025The @Cubs honored Virginia McCaskey today on the Wrigley Marquee. pic.twitter.com/djWYf11fSi
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 6, 2025 Read More Details
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