George Stanley "Mugs" Halas Jr. (September 4, 1925 – December 16, 1979) was an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

executive who is one of four presidents in the history of the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

franchise of the National Football League (NFL). He was the son of Bears founder and NFL co-founder

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

and Minnie Bushing. He went to the

Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business encompasses the undergraduate, graduate, and executive-level business programs of Loyola University Chicago in downtown Chicago, Illinois, with campuses and partnerships in Rome, Italy; Beijing, ...

. George Jr. joined the Bears' front office in 1950. He became treasurer in 1953 and president of the club in 1963. He also nominally served as general manager until 1974, though his father continued to have the final say on football matters during this time. Halas had intended for Mugs to inherit the team upon his death. However, Mugs died on the last day of the 1979 regular season from a sudden heart attack. Thus, upon George Sr.'s death in 1983, Mugs' older sister,

Virginia Halas McCaskey Virginia Marion Halas McCaskey (born January 5, 1923) is the principal owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). She is the eldest child of Bears founder and owner George Halas, who left the team to his daughter upon his ...

, inherited the team. Mugs was married to Therese until their divorce in 1975. The couple had two children, Christine and Stephen. Following Mugs' death, a legal battle brewed between the three and the Halas-McCaskey family over their inheritance, life insurance payout, stake in ownership. In 1987, Mugs' remains were exhumed and subjected to a second autopsy at the request Therese and her children. The forensic pathologist conducting the autopsy noted that many of Mugs' internal organs, including his heart, lungs, and spinal cord, had been replaced with sawdust. Therese's attorney, William J. Harte, alleged that Mugs' death was not due to natural causes, and thus subject to further insurance payouts. An Illinois appellate court rejected Therese's petition in 1988. The George Halas Jr. Sports Center was dedicated on September 2, 1982, on the campus of

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...

. He was a graduate of Loyola University's School of Commerce.

References

1925 births 1979 deaths Chicago Bears executives National Football League team presidents National Football League general managers Loyola University Chicago alumni Halas family 20th-century American businesspeople {{Amfoot-bio-stub