BREAKING: The Chicago Bears owner has died. putt

Longtime Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey dies at the age of 102 after four decades of ownership

Longtime Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey died at the age of 102, the Bears announced Thursday. For more than four years, McCaskey had been the longest-tenured owner in the NFL. McCaskey is survived by 11 children and more than 40 grandchildren.

“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 McCaskey family 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.”

McCaskey, the daughter of Bears founder and NFL legend George Halas, took ownership of the Bears in 1983, guiding them for more than 40 years and a Super Bowl title. She spent her entire adult professional life running Chicago’s historic football franchise, taking over the team in 1983 after the passing of her father.

“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,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement on Thursday. “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.”