The Chicago Bears are mourning the loss of one of the men who presided over the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory.
The team on Saturday announced the death of Michael B. McCaskey, former president and CEO of the Bears, at age 76 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
McCaskey was the successor and grandson of George Halas, the club’s legendary founder, owner and head coach.
“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,” the McCaskey family said. “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.”
McCaskey was voted the NFL Executive of the Year following the franchise’s iconic 1985 championship season, and under his leadership the team captured six NFC Central titles with eight playoff appearances, and moved into its current facility.
In 1999, McCaskey became the team’s chairman, serving until 2011. In 2005, he co-founded the team’s charitable Bears Care foundation. Additionally, he served on a number of the NFL’s committees over the years.
The Yale University graduate also spent time teaching at UCLA and spent seven years as an associate professor at Harvard Business School.
