Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair died on Tuesday at age 89, the team announced.
McNair co-founded the expansion team with her late husband, Bob McNair, in 2002 after the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee after the 1996 season and later became the Titans.
“Janice McNair was a woman of extraordinary generosity, grace and faith, whose impact on the Houston community and the NFL will be felt for generations,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“Alongside Bob, she helped bring the NFL back to her beloved Houston and played an essential role in building the Texans into an organization that reflects the values they held dear: service, integrityand commitment to community. Following Bob’s passing, Janice served as controlling owner for six years and continued to provide steady leadership while remaining devoted to their family, Texans, their fans and countless charitable causes.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the McNair family, the Texans organization and the Houston community.”
She became the fourth person inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor last November, joining her husband, who died in 2018 at age 81, along with franchise icons Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt.
Janice McNair transferred principal ownership to her son, Cal McNair, in the spring of 2024.
“Mom was exceptional,” Cal McNair, Texans chair and CEO, said in the statement. “She exuded kindness, radiated joy, had an endless amount of hope and love, and lived an incredible life centered around faith, family, philanthropy and football.
“It’s impossible to describe the profound gratitude that my sisters, Ruth and Melissa, and I feel for having her as our mom. Outside of our family, nothing mattered more to her than her beloved Texans. I remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston. Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community, and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization. While I’m heartbroken, I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate.”
Janice McNair, born in Myrtle Beach and raised in Orangeburg, S.C., moved to Houston with her husband in 1960. They are known for their philanthropy, having donated over $500 million to charitable causes, according to the Texans. The team said in a statement Tuesday that education and medical research are key focuses of their foundations.
She served as director of The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation and The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, N.C.
“Mrs. McNair was an incredible woman who will be deeply missed,” said fourth-year Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former Texans linebacker (2006-11). “As a player, she and Mr. McNair built an organization that felt like a family and it was a true honor to play for them.
“I will always remember the day I came home to Houston in 2023. Mrs. McNair welcomed me back into the Texans family with open arms and her signature warm smile. We shared the same vision of bringing the organization to new heights and I will continue to work every day to accomplish that goal. My thoughts and prayers are with Cal, Hannah and their family during this time.”
She is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
