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Outsider Kevin Warren an agent of change at Halas Hall

Larry Stoddard/AP

After Bears owner George Halas (left) hired general manager Jim Finks (center) in 1974, Finks fired coach Abe Gibron and replaced him with Jack Pardee (right).

Bears chairman George McCaskey — the namesake of Bears founder George Halas — has resolutely, if awkwardly, embraced the responsibility of upholding his legendary grandfather’s legacy since becoming the team’s chairman in 2011.

But this might be the first time he took a page out of the Old Man’s playbook that could make a difference. With the opportunity to promote from within to replace retiring team president Ted Phillips — a comfortable and familiar tack at Halas Hall — McCaskey instead not only went outside the organization, but went big and bold.