Virginia McCaskey preferred the role of cheerleader and caretaker of the Chicago Bears to that of power broker. But nobody made a major decision without first consulting her.

The daughter of the Bears founder and football pioneer George Halas, she witnessed much of N.F.L. history from a young age, then took the team’s reins in 1983.

She inherited the Bears from her father in 1983, one of the few women in sports to hold such a powerful position.