We came into the studio on Tuesday night with very heavy hearts. Janice S. McNair, co-founder and Senior Chair of the Houston Texans, passed away at the age of 89. She was a Houston treasure, an angel and the first lady of this franchise.
John and I shared stories about Mrs. McNair that are close to our hearts. I told the story of driving to the Houston Methodist Training Center that evening and seeing her practice tent being constructed for training camp — a small shelter where she would sit with her roster and notebook, taking notes on every single drill. She usually waved off the air conditioning and went outside. That's who she was. John remembered a board meeting where some of the questions were leaning negative before Mrs. McNair spoke up and found the positive, as she always did. "We're going to be okay guys, right? We have a good team," Harris recalled her saying. "I just remember her finding the positive out of things."
We brought in Hall of Fame sportswriter John McClain who has covered the Texans since before they were the Texans. He has been asked by the organization to write an official remembrance of Janice and Bob for HoustonTexans.com and he delivered some incredible stories. McClain traced the McNair journey all the way back to 1997, talking about how Bob turned down chances to buy Washington, Miami, Carolina and Jacksonville because Houston was home. "I've never known a classier couple, a more dignified couple," McClain said. "And with both of them gone, it is a tremendous loss for Houston, the state of Texas and the NFL."
God bless you, Janice McNair.
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