Bears Honor Late Owner with VMH Jersey Patch in Season Opener

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Bears are kicking off their 2025 NFL season with a special tribute to their late owner, Virginia Halas McCaskey, who died in February at the age of 102. During their Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears will debut a football-shaped patch featuring the initials “VMH” on their left shoulder, honoring McCaskey’s legacy.

The patch resembles one worn in 1983, when the Bears commemorated her father, team founder George S. Halas. It displays a navy blue monogram on an orange football, with the “M” for McCaskey centered and outlined in white.

Bears chairman George McCaskey expressed the family’s intention behind the tribute. “We thought it’d be appropriate to have a patch that mirrored her dad’s after he passed away. It came out great. We like the look of it,” he said. He emphasized the tribute was meant to be understated, respecting McCaskey’s wishes for humility.

The 2025 season will see the patch accompany the team’s standard navy blue helmets and jerseys, as they set aside their alternate uniforms in McCaskey’s honor. “If it were up to me, we’d have the same uniform at home and the same uniform away,” McCaskey recalled his mother often saying.

Virginia Halas McCaskey was the longest-tenured NFL owner, becoming principal owner after her father’s death. The Bears released a statement highlighting her role, noting she never sought the spotlight and valued the team’s legacy over profit. Throughout her life, she was a matriarch and a guiding force for the franchise, which has deep roots in Chicago.

She is survived by her sons Patrick, Edward Jr., George, Richard, Brian, and Joseph, along with daughters Ellen, Mary, and Ann, plus 21 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.