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.

George Halas founded the Chicago Bears in 1920, and daughter Virginia McCaskey remained the team's primary owner until her death Thursday, at age 102. What happens now?

Once upon a time, Virginia McCaskey inherited memorabilia from a cousin, a collection that included a box of old ticket stubs. In it, she said, was a torn admittance to the NFL’s 1932 championship game between the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans.