Lovie Smith Sends Condolences After Death Of Fmr. Bears CEO Michael McCaskey
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Lovie Smith sent out his heartfelt condolences for a former boss, Michael McCaskey, who died Saturday.
McCaskey, who led the Chicago Bears as the franchise’s CEO from 1983 to 2011 following the death of his grandfather George Halas, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 76 years old.
Smith, who was the Bears head coach from 2004-12 including leading the franchise to Super Bowl XLI in 2006 and the NFC Championship Game in 2010, took to Twitter to share how McCaskey hired him nearly 16 years ago after sitting with him during an NFL-sponsored symposium to help minority assistants become head coaches.
“RIP Michael McCaskey!" Smith said Sunday afternoon on Twitter. "Five years before I became the head coach of the Bears, I attended an NFL Symposium to help minority assistants become head coaches. I was blessed to randomly sit at the same table as Michael. After I got back home, I wrote him a letter and thanked him for his words of wisdom. Five years later he offered me the Head job for the Bears! After I got to Chicago, Michael showed me the same letter that I wrote to him and recanted our conversations from the symposium. "CAN'T THANK HIM ENOUGH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY! MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE MCCASKEY FAMILY FOR THEIR LOSS!"
Michael McCaskey joined the family business in 1983 as president and CEO following the death of his grandfather George Halas, a founding father of the NFL and the franchise. He succeeded Ed McCaskey as chairman in 1999 and remained in that role until brother George McCaskey took over in 2011. He is also survived by his 97-year-old mother Virginia McCaskey and his grandson, Jackson.
"Michael McCaskey proudly carried forth the legacy of his grandfather and NFL pioneer George Halas as team president and chairman and played an instrumental role in the success and popularity of the Bears," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "The Bears' memorable 1985 season and their Super Bowl XX victory helped further propel the NFL onto a global stage. Michael was a driving force in growing the NFL's international footprint with the first American Bowl game in London featuring the Bears and the Dallas Cowboys in 1986. He was also dedicated to serving his community."
McCaskey hired Smith, after a three-year defensive coordinator run with the St. Louis Rams, as the first minority head coach in franchise history. Smith got the Bears into the playoffs in just his second season while winning the 2005 Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award. Smith finished his nine-year tenure in Chicago with a 81-63 record and three divisional titles. Smith’s win total with Chicago is third-most in franchise history behind just George Halas and Mike Ditka.
Smith returned to the state of Illinois to become the first minority head coach of either football or basketball at the University of Illinois in 2016. After struggling in his first three seasons with the Illini, Smith took Illinois to the 2019 Redbox Bowl, the program’s first bowl in five years.