Mrs. McCaskey was the eldest child of "Papa Bear" George Halas Sr., who founded the Bears. He came on as a player/coach with the team – originally the Decatur Staleys – in 1920. Born in 1923, she learned all about the team from her father, and inherited the team after his death in 1983. Her only brother, George "Mugs" Halas Jr., had died of a heart attack in 1979, leaving her as the sole heir to the franchise. Two years after taking over as the team's principal owner, the famed 1985 Chicago Bears team won Super Bowl XX in dominant fashion, beating the Patriots 46-10.

Virginia Halas McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, has died. She was 102. McCaskey's family announced through the team that she died Thursday. She had owned the Bears since her father's death on Oct. 31, 1983. "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 family said. "She guided the Bears for four decades and based every business decision on what was best for Bears players, coaches, staff and fans." Like her father, a co-founder of the NFL, McCaskey kept the team in family hands. She gave operational control and the title of president to her eldest son, Michael McCaskey, who served as chairman until being succeeded by brother George McCaskey in 2011.

The Bears won the franchise's lone Super Bowl with McCaskey at the helm. Chicago defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 20, thanks in large part to the "Monsters of the Midway" — a nickname referencing the Bears' acclaimed 1985 defense. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement shortly after the passing of McCaskey was announced. "Virginia Halas McCaskey, the matriarch of the Chicago Bears and daughter of George Halas, the founder of the NFL, leaves a legacy of class, dignity, and humanity," Goodell said. "Faith, family, and football – in that order – were her north stars and she lived by the simple adage to always 'do the right thing.' The Bears that her father started meant the world to her and he would be proud of the way she continued the family business with such dedication and passion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McCaskey and Halas families and Bears fans around the world."