Bears Chairman Was Umpiring Youth Baseball When Chicago Was Making NFL Draft Selection

Not even an NFL draft could keep George McCaskey from his love of officiating youth sports.

Jan 31, 2022; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey speaks at a Press Conference to introduce new Chicago Bears-Head Coach Matt Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

George McCaskey, the chairman of the Chicago Bears, was not in the war room during the third day of April's NFL Draft.

Why?

McCaskey was fulfilling his obligation and first love of umpiring a high school baseball game in Sycamore, Ill. After all, McCaskey, despite his wealth and stature as an NFL owner, has been officiating youth sports for five decades. McCaskey has always been concerned about youth sports leagues not having enough officials, so he makes time to umpire baseball, officiate football and assist with other sports as he can.

So even with Day 3 of the NFL draft happening, McCaskey wasn't going to miss out on umpiring a Sycamore High School baseball doubleheader. In fact, Sycamore athletic director Chauncey Carrick was the one informed McCaskey that the Bears traded back into the fourth and fifth rounds of the draft to select Iowa punter Tory Taylor with pick No. 122 and Kansas defensive end Austin Booker with pick No. 144, according to a profile on McCaskey from ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

So despite McCaskey's many obligations associated with holding a prominent role within the Bears' organization, McCaskey remains a staple in the Sycamore community.

"He's just George," Sycamore resident Jan Rutherford told Cronin. "He's part of the community."