Janice S. McNair | Houston Texans - HoustonTexans.com
Sept. 30, 1936 - Jul. 14, 2026
Janice Suber McNair, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, philanthropist and beloved Co-Founder and Senior Chair of the Houston Texans, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on the 14th of July, 2026, in Houston, Texas. She was born on the 30th of September, 1936, in McCormick, South Carolina to Robert Daniel Suber and Gladys Folk Suber.
Janice grew up in Orangeburg, S.C. and was active in sports, choir and student government, chosen as Miss 'Hi Miss' of Orangeburg High School, first recipient of the Bill Davis Memorial Award at the all-male Orangeburg Indian Club for outstanding athletic achievement, scholastic attainment and sportsmanship, crowned Queen of Beaufort First Water Fest, served as the president of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils and governor of the South Carolina Girls' State. She graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina with a degree in education and later received an honorary doctorate from Columbia College.
Janice married her soulmate, Robert C. McNair, in 1957. Since moving to Houston in 1960, Janice and Bob raised four children and embarked on a lifetime of giving. The McNairs were generous philanthropists, making education and medical research the cornerstones of their charitable giving. In total, Janice and Bob contributed more than half a billion dollars to charity. Contributions were made through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation and The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, North Carolina. Janice served as a director of each foundation.
Janice's love for the Houston Texans knew no bounds since co-founding the team with Bob in 1999. The Houston Texans Foundation was created in 2002 at the inception of the franchise. It was born out of Janice and Bob's strong desire to do great things for Houston, especially Houston's youth. She was revered by Texans fans for bringing football back to Houston and the immeasurable impact she made in the years since. In 2025, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston County Sports Authority and later that year the City of Houston had the opportunity to celebrate Janice when she was inducted as the fourth member of the Texans Ring of Honor.
Through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, Janice and Bob established McNair Scholars programs which recruit the best and brightest students and faculty to the University of South Carolina, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children's Hospital. Their contributions to academic medical research, including a transformational gift in 2007 to Baylor College of Medicine support medical scientists who are innovating treatments for disease. The McNair Campus was named in recognition of their generosity. In 2015, the McNairs established programs at universities across the country to empower students with an understanding of free enterprise systems and with the entrepreneurial skills to create new enterprises. The McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina serves as a model for entrepreneurism centers in higher education.
Janice lived an extraordinary life rooted in faith, family, philanthropy and football. A gracious southern woman and beloved matriarch of the Houston Texans, Janice welcomed everyone she met with her signature warmth, radiant smile and genuine kindness. She led with compassion, generosity, and unwavering hope, always seeing the very best in others and inspiring them to do the same. Her love for people, deep devotion to community, and steadfast spirit touched countless lives. Janice's legacy of service, grace, and leadership will endure for generations, and her impact on Houston, the NFL, and all who knew her will never be forgotten.
She found her greatest joy in being surrounded by family, creating cherished memories during gatherings in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and looking forward each year to celebrating holidays at the family ranch in Cat Spring, Texas. Her love of horses was a lifelong passion. In her early years, she rode as a jockey, and in 1984, she and Bob founded Stonerside Stable. Under their ownership, Stonerside achieved remarkable success, winning 14 Grade 1 races, including five victories with the acclaimed racehorse Congaree.
The McNairs had four children, sixteen grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. She was a breast cancer survivor.
