Virginia McCaskey, the daughter of Papa Bear George Halas took over the Bears and helped guide them forward towards a winning path. Although the Bears weren’t “the winning Bears” in her last year on Earth, they remain a fine, family-oriented team thanks to her leadership and vision.
One thing about Mrs. McCaskey was that she loved the Bears with everything she had. She cared about the players, the staff, and, of course, the fans. She was a great advocate for the team and tried to do what she could to help them. Mrs. McCaskey believed in family, this was very important to her and the Chicago Bears were her family.
Recalling the Matriarch of the Chicago Bears: Virginia McCaskey
Virginia Halas McCaskey was given control of the team following the death of her father in 1983. The team was originally supposed to be tended to by her brother George “Mugs” Halas, Jr. but he passed away from a heart attack, just a few years before. So Virginia took over and helped lead the team forward.
The last few years saw Mrs. McCaskey take a step back from running the team while having her son Michael run the it and then, his brother, her son George run the Bears. George has been a key part of the Bears trying to get back to some semblance of respectability.
The Beginnings
Mrs. McCaskey was born on January 5th, 1923. She was the oldest child of George and Minnie Halas. Mrs. McCaskey, like her famous father, loved the game of football and understood it better than some of us might. She not only knew the X’s and O’s but also knew the players and understood some of the nuances of the game.
She was very football smart and it’s amazing to think of everything that she saw during her 102 years on this earth.
This writer had two experiences with Mrs. McCaskey that are worth mentioning.
A while back, during the Bears much tougher times, I wrote a letter which was published online, directly to her attention, requesting change and a new direction for the team. It was met with a lot of praise as well as a lot of criticism. I would like to have thought that she had read the letter which made it to several sites online.
Interactions with Mrs. McCaskey
Finally, I attended a fan convention at Soldier Field before 2020. I had a chance to witness Mrs. McCaskey coming down the escalator from the third level. She was dressed in a Halas jersey. I got the opportunity to sit behind her and people would come up to her and chat with her, briefly. I waved at her but I didn’t get a chance to talk to her because so many people were coming up to have a chat. It was quite an honor to have seen her in person.
After the presentation we were watching was done, Mrs. McCaskey went up the escalator. She returned to the third floor disappearing from my sight.
Thank you, Mrs. McCaskey, for taking care of the Bears all those years. We appreciate your efforts and thank you for being the First Lady and the Matriarch of the Chicago Bears.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
