Virginia Halas McCaskey

Virginia Halas McCaskey (born January 5, 1923) is the principal owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). She is the eldest child of Bears founder and owner George Halas, who left the team to his daughter upon his death in 1983, and Minnie Bushing Halas.^[2] After the death of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson in March 2014, she became the oldest owner in the NFL and in all major league sports in the United States.^[3]

Her formal title within the Bears organization is secretary of the board of directors.^[4] However, she is empowered to speak for the interests of her children and grandchildren, effectively giving her 80% ownership of the team.^[5]

Career[]

George Halas had initially intended for his son, George "Mugs" Halas Jr., to inherit the team, and passed the team presidency to him in 1963. However, Mugs died suddenly of a heart attack in 1979. Thus, it was Virginia who inherited the Bears when her father died four years later. McCaskey inherited a Bears team that won Super Bowl XX two seasons after "Papa Bear's" death.^[6] However, the team struggled in the 1990s and since 1999 she has been a very hands-off owner.^[7] Her son Michael McCaskey was team president from 1983 to 1999 and was chairman of the board until May 6, 2011, when his brother George McCaskey assumed the position.^[8] George McCaskey had been the Bears ticket office director since 1991.^[9] Team president Ted Phillips currently has operational control; when he became team president, it marked the first time in the team's history that a Halas or McCaskey had not held that title.^[10]

Halas's husband, Ed McCaskey, was previously the chairman and treasurer of the Bears. Although McCaskey never had any official share of ownership, he acted as co-owner alongside his wife before his death in 2003.^[11]

On January 21, 2007, she accepted the NFC Championship trophy, which bears her father's name. She called it "her happiest day so far", after the Bears had beaten the New Orleans Saints to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLI.^[12]

McCaskey is one of a handful of female NFL owners, including Sheila Ford Hamp (Detroit Lions), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills), Carol Davis (Las Vegas Raiders), Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers), Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Janice McNair (Houston Texans), Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks), and Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns).

After the death of Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill in October 2019, McCaskey became the longest-tenured owner in the NFL.^[13]

Personal life[]

Virginia attended Drexel University, majoring in secretarial studies with the aspiration of serving as her father's secretary. She was an active member of Pi Sigma Gamma sorority, the Newman Club, the Panhellenic Council, and the YWCA. She is known for being "proudly private" pertaining to the team her father built, rarely discussing the business aspect of her life. She and her late husband Ed have 11 children and more than 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. McCaskey is a Roman Catholic and considers "faith, family, and football" indivisible in her life.^[14]

References[]