Virginia Halas McCaskey Dies at 102; Bears Owner Was Daughter of George Halas

Virginia Halas McCaskey, who was the longtime principal owner of the Chicago Bears, died at the age of 102.

The Bears announced her passing on Thursday:

McCaskey was the daughter of George Halas, who was the Hall of Fame founder of the Bears. He also coached the team on four different occasions, including during their first 10 years of existence and before they were even in the NFL as the Decatur Staleys.

"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 Bears 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."

Virginia was one of George Halas' two children, and she moved into position to inherit the team when her brother, George Halas Jr., died in 1979.

She then inherited the Bears in 1983 when her father died.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times noted she named her husband, Ed, the team's chairman shortly after inheriting the Bears. She also named her son, Michael, the president and CEO, although she later demoted Michael in 1999 to chairman when Ted Phillips took his place.

Michael retired in 2010, and one of her other sons, George, took over the role.

Virginia represented 13 different family members and approximately 80 percent of the Bears on the NFL's board of directors.

"How that voting bloc will be affected after her death is unclear," Finley wrote. "When asked in recent years about the team's future, George has said repeatedly that his mother had a plan that would keep the team in the family after her death. The NFL mandates each team have a succession plan, though public details are vague."

Virginia Halas McCaskey was a direct line to the NFL's founding, as her father purchased the Bears in 1920 and attended a meeting that led to the founding of the American Professional Football Association that became the NFL two years later.

George Halas even brought his daughter along when he helped legitimize the sport at a professional level with a barnstorming tour with Red George following the 1925 college season. She was in attendance at the NFL's first ever championship game as well.

"It's a special feeling to be part of that Bears history, which was very significant in the survival and history of the team," she said in a previous interview, per Finley. "And for George Halas."

While she was not seen as often at games in recent years, she attended home and away Bears games late into her life.

The team won six championships with her father as the head coach and won its only Super Bowl during her tenure in the 1985 season. It also reached the Super Bowl during the 2006 season.