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In the 2025-26 NFL season, the Chicago Bears will ensure Virginia McCaskey's legacy can be seen at every game. The team announced it will have a commemorative logo in the shape of a football with McCaskey's initials on the chest of every jersey.
The patch design directly replicates the one worn by the Bears after the death of her father and team founder, George S. Halas, in 1983. It features an orange football with navy blue stitching, a large navy “M” outlined in white, and two smaller letters on each side: “V” for Virginia and “H” for Halas. Team chairman George McCaskey confirmed that the tribute will begin with the preseason opener and continue all year, as detailed in the Chicago Sun-Times article on the McCaskey family's uniform decision.
The #Bears will honor matriarch Virginia McCaskey 2 ways, chairman George McCaskey tells the @SunTimes:
• With a uniform patch similar to the '83 GSH tribute
• By NOT wearing throwbacks/orange uniforms this season.
Details: https://t.co/FYKkfJgmC3@UniWatch— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) July 30, 2025
As a second gesture, the Bears will not wear any alternate uniforms during the 2025 season out of respect for Virginia's preference for tradition. The team will wear only its standard uniform: navy jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road, both with navy helmets. This means no orange alternates or 1936 throwback uniforms will be used.
“She said to me many times, ‘If it were up to me, we'd have the same uniform at home and the same uniform away,'” McCaskey recalled.
This understated approach reflects the family's intent to create a meaningful yet modest tribute. McCaskey explained that his mother never sought attention or public recognition and decided to keep the uniform design consistent as a fitting way to honor her. Virginia rarely involved herself in uniform design decisions, even when presented with historic concepts like the 1936 throwbacks. “Socks don't turn me on,” she once joked, according to her son.
The 2025 uniforms will also include a tribute to Hall of Famer Steve McMichael, who passed away in April at age 67. Each helmet will feature a navy football decal with white laces and McMichael's number 76 in white, outlined in orange. That logo will be stenciled onto the Soldier Field grass on game days.
The #Bears will also honor Steve McMichael, who died from ALS in April, with a helmet sticker. The same design will be on the turf at Soldier Field: pic.twitter.com/mcuI2nY3cL
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) July 30, 2025
Both tributes were designed to reflect the character and legacy of two iconic figures in franchise history, with visible but respectful details.
