THE APEX TIMES
The late Bears principal owner is one of five candidates in the Contributor category after the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Contributor Subcommittee narrowed an original group of 42 nominees through multiple reduction votes.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2027’s Contributor category is down to five, and Virginia Halas McCaskey is among the finalists the Contributor Subcommittee will consider for induction. reported the selection process is ongoing after multiple reduction votes from an initial field of 42 nominees.
According to the Bears’ report, the Contributor Subcommittee will meet virtually on Nov. 17 to discuss the remaining nominees and select one Candidate to advance to the full Selection Committee. That committee will determine the new class of enshrinees for induction in early 2027.
Along with Mrs. McCaskey, the five Contributor nominees listed by are Ralph Hay, Robert Kraft, Doug Williams and John Wooten.
The Bears’ ownership lineage is central to Mrs. McCaskey’s profile: she served as the Bears’ principal owner from 1983 until her death on Feb. 6, 2025, at age 102. The Bears also tied her lifetime to the early NFL through her father, Hall of Famer George Halas, who founded the Bears as the Decatur Staleys.
described her long association with the franchise’s defining eras, including attending the NFL’s first indoor game in 1932 and later overseeing an era that included five straight NFC Central Division titles from 1984-88 and a Super Bowl XX win after the Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46-10.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class will be announced during NFL Honors in Los Angeles in February, with enshrinement in Canton, Ohio next August. The Hall’s bylaws set a class-size range of 3-7 new members, with 13 Players, one Coach and one Contributor expected to be presented to the Selection Committee.