McCasseki was the daughter of George Papa Bear Haras, co-founder and former owner of the Bears.
Virginia Harras McCausky, the main owner of the Chicago Bears, known as the “NFL First Lady,” passed away on February 6th at the age of 102.
McCasky is the daughter of George “Papa Bear” Haras, co-founder and original owner of the Bears. He founded the Bears, originally known as the Decatur Staleys, and was present since the first season of the NFL in 1920. When he died of cancer in 1983, McCausky took over him as the owner and has been in charge ever since.
During the 2024 NFL season, McCasseki was one of the league’s four female majority owners, including Sheilaford Hamp (Detroit Lions), Gail Benson (New Orleans Saints), Amy Adams Strok (Tennessee Titan). It’s lined up. Kim Pegra also has three female co-owners with her husband Terry Pegra (Buffalo Bills). Dee Haslam, husband Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland Browns). Carol Davis and son Mark Davis (Las Vegas Raiders). husbands John York (San Francisco 49ers) and Dennis York;
It was former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue who introduced McCaskey as “NFL first lady” in various league features. Tagliabue’s successor, Roger Goodell, issued a statement on Thursday in honor of McCaskey.
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“Virginia Haras McCasky, the Chicago Bears patriarch and daughter of NFL founder George Haras, leaves behind a legacy of class, dignity and humanity,” the statement read. “Faith, family, football was her north star in that order, and she always lived with the simple adage of “doing the right thing.” The bear that her father started means the world to her and he will be proud of the way she continued to run a family business with such dedication and passion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of McCasky and Harass and fans around the world. ”
McCasseki generally maintained a low profile with a handoff approach as the Bears owner, but was behind all the key decisions the franchise has made over the past 40 years. One of the most notable came in 1997 and 1998 after the Bears endured four to 12 consecutive seasons. Virginia McCasky’s eldest son, Michael McCasky, was the team president at the time and was in charge of the soccer business. However, after these two seasons, Virginia stripped many of his operational responsibility sons and reassigned him within the franchise.
McCasky was also involved in many charity activities, including the Bears and Greater Chicago. One of these, Bears Care, has donated millions of dollars to cancer research. The other is the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund, named after the former Bears, who ran by the former Bears, who died of cancer in 1971, two years after their final match with the team.
The Chicago Bears suffered with a record of 5-12 in the 2024 season. The season included a 10-game winning streak that ended in Week 18, when the Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 24-22. In other words, McCasky’s final NFL game was a victory over the team’s biggest rivals.
It took the other teams to acknowledge McCaskey’s death and what she meant for the league. This includes the Miami Dolphins, the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants, as well as division rivals Minnesota Vikings. All of these have posted messages on social media, expanding the impact on the NFL and the spread of sad dol to the McKeski family and the Bears.
