Houston football exists in its current form because of Bob and Janice McNair, and on Tuesday the franchise lost the last of its two founders. Janice S. McNair, the Texans' co-founder and senior chair, died at 89, according to Adam Schefter.
More about Houston Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair, who has passing away at age 89. https://t.co/KNrqn3gqBf
The Texans didn't exist by accident. When the Oilers bolted for Tennessee in 1997, Houston spent years without an NFL team, and it was Bob and Janice McNair who put together the ownership group that landed the league's 32nd franchise in 1999, with the Texans finally kicking off play in 2002. That's not ancient trivia for Texans fans, it's the entire origin story of the franchise, and Janice was in the room for all of it, not just a name attached to her husband's checkbook.
Her role only grew from there. When Bob McNair died in November 2018, Janice stepped in as principal owner, carrying the title of senior chair while leaning on her son Cal McNair to run day-to-day football operations as CEO. She held that principal ownership stake until March 2024, when she formally handed the reins to Cal, closing the loop on more than 2 decades of McNair family control.
Beyond the org chart, the McNairs were known in Houston for giving as much as they took, reportedly funneling more than half a billion dollars combined into education and medical research causes over the years. That's the kind of civic footprint that outlasts win totals and playoff runs, and it's a big part of why her passing is being felt well outside the locker room.
Expect tributes from the Texans organization, current and former players, and the NFL at large in the coming days as Houston pays respects to one of the people who literally made sure the city had a team to root for. The franchise she helped build now sits fully in her son's hands, and this is the moment that officially closes the founding chapter.