Janice McNair, the co-founder and Senior Chair of the Houston Texans, has died at 89.
The team announced her death on Tuesday afternoon.
McNair and her husband, Bob, founded the NFL’s 32nd franchise in 2002, helping bring the league back to Houston after the Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997. After Bob McNair died in 2018 at age 81, Janice became the team’s primary owner. She later passed that role to her son, Cal, in 2024.
In a statement released by the team, Cal McNair paid tribute to his mother and the life she built around family, faith, philanthropy and football.
“Mom was exceptional,” Cal said in a statement issued by the team.” 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.”
McNair is survived by four children, sixteen grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
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