Tag: Virginia McCaskey

Bears owner Virginia McCaskey celebrating her 100th birthday

Bears owner and “First Lady of the NFL” Virginia McCaskey turns 100 today.

Bears owner and matriarch Virginia Halas McCaskey is celebrating her 100th birthday. Born on Jan. 5, 1923, McCaskey is just three years younger than the NFL.

“She put us on notice months ago that she did not want a big deal made and she wanted a quiet, small family celebration,” said her son and Bears chairman George H. McCaskey, via ChicagoBears.com.

For McCaskey, she’s a huge part of the history of the NFL. Her father, George Halas, founded the league and the Bears, and she had a front-row seat to it all. From the Red Grange traveling tour to the 1985 Bears to the NFL’s 100th anniversary, McCaskey’s life has been football. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Following her father’s death in 1983, McCaskey took over as principal owner of the Bears, a role she’s served in for the last 40 years.

On Wednesday, Bears coach Matt Eberflus recalled the first conversation he had with McCaskey when he was hired as the franchise’s 18th head coach.

“She said, ‘Matt, you know I’ll be your biggest fan,’ ” Eberflus said. “(She is) always encouraging, always upbeat, always thoughtful. It’s been a joy to get to know her this last year.”

It’s been one heck of a brutal season to celebrate her 100th birthday, given the Bears have lost a franchise-record nine straight games (which could become 10 on Sunday).

But the future is certainly bright for this franchise, given they’ve found their quarterback in Justin Fields and with the Arlington Heights stadium project.

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Most embarrassing moments from Bears Chairman George McCaskey’s press conference

From insulting Olin Kreutz to George McCaskey’s mom being ‘very, very disappointed,’ the most embarrassing moments from McCaskey’s presser.

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on Monday morning, which left Bears fans feeling uncharacteristically hopeful that things might actually change.

But much like Nagy’s second-half collapses, Monday went from great to hopeless once Chairman George McCaskey took center stage later that afternoon.

McCaskey met the Chicago media for roughly an hour, where he addressed everything from Nagy and Pace’s firings to the search efforts for a new head coach and GM. But with McCaskey, even a routine end-of-year press conference always seems to develop into an absolute disaster.

While many didn’t think it could get worse than last year’s press conference, it’s right up there with it.

Here’s a look at some of the most embarrassing moments from McCaskey (and Phillips) during their press conference:

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Former Bears president Michael McCaskey dies after battle with cancer

Former Bears president and CEO Michael McCaskey passed away at the age of 76 on Saturday after a lengthy battle with Leukemia.

Former Chicago Bears president and CEO Michael McCaskey passed away at the age of 76 on Saturday after a lengthy battle with Leukemia, his family announced. He was the eldest child of principal owner Virginia McCaskey.

McCaskey became the team’s chairman in 1983 following his grandfather George Halas’s death. He oversaw the team’s only Super Bowl championship in 1985 and was president until 1999. He remained chairman of the team until 2011 when his brother, George, took over the position.

His family released the following statement on the Chicago Bears website:

“Mike was already successful in every sense of the word when he took over for George S. Halas after the passing of ‘Papa Bear’ in 1983. We are grateful to Mike for overseeing arguably the greatest team in NFL history, and for his many years of service to the Bears and to us. The oldest of eleven siblings has many duties thrust upon him, not all of them pleasant, yet Mike handled them all with grace and patience. Although Mike’s passing was not brought on by the novel coronavirus, our family, like so many people, is not able to gather and grieve together at this time. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. Our focus in the coming days will be to celebrate Mike’s life, and be whatever source of support we can be to John and Kathryn and those they love.”

In addition to winning Super Bowl XX, McCaskey was also instrumental in moving the team’s Halas Hall headquarters to its current location in 1997 and co-founded Bears Care, the team’s charitable arm, back in 2005, according to Chicagobears.com.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McCaskey family during this difficult time.

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What did Bears owner Virginia McCaskey think about 2019 season?

Following a season that once started with sky-high expectations, Virginia McCaskey is feeling like all Bears fans are – disappointed.

Considering the high expectations that came with the 2019 season, it’s no surprise why an 8-8 season feels more like a three-win season for Bears fans.

But it’s not just fans feeling the disappointment. It’s also Bears matriarch Virginia McCaskey.

“Like all Bears fans, she’s disappointed,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said. “The hope was there. The Bears were back. And then to take a step back was especially disappointing. And she feels it, like all Bears fans do.”

Looking back, it’s easy to see why expectations were sky-high for the Bears heading into this season. They were coming off an impressive 2018 season — including a 12-4 record, division title and hosting a playoff game — and it felt like a stepping stone in the future for this franchise.

This season had the potential to be a special one for the Bears, but ultimately their offensive deficiencies severely grounded them.

“You know, we talked a lot about that because the 2018 season kind of set the stage: ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful in our centennial season, on George Halas’ birthday, to win the Super Bowl?’ ” McCaskey said. “And it didn’t work out. Everybody knows winning the Super Bowl in any season under any circumstances is special.”

Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, who have a lot of work to do this offseason.

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