Janice McNair, the co-founder and senior chair of the Houston Texans, died Tuesday in Houston. She was 89. The team confirmed her death in a statement, saying she passed away peacefully with her family by her side.
McNair and her husband, Bob, brought the NFL back to Houston in 2002, five years after the Oilers packed up and moved to Tennessee. She’s survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Cal McNair, her son and the Texans’ current chair and CEO, has run the franchise’s daily operations since his father died in 2018. Janice served as principal owner during those years before formally handing the role to Cal in the spring of 2024.
“Mom was exceptional,” Cal McNair said in the team’s 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.”
He didn’t stop there. “It’s impossible to describe the profound gratitude that my sisters, Ruth and Melissa, and I feel for having her as our mom,” McNair said. “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.”
The Texans did not disclose a cause of death. Several outlets, including Houston Public Media, noted McNair had previously been treated for breast cancer, though no connection to her death was stated by the family or team.
A Ring of Honor Legacy
McNair became the fourth inductee into the Texans’ Ring of Honor in 2025, joining her late husband alongside franchise greats Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt. She was honored during a halftime ceremony, where fans cheered a woman many in Houston credited with helping restore pro football to the city.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called her passing a loss felt well beyond Houston. “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,” 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, integrity, and commitment to community,” Goodell continued. “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.”
Tributes poured in from around the league Tuesday. The Patriots, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Rams, Cardinals, Giants and Colts all posted statements of condolence, according to a roundup from Houston Texans On SI.
Building a Life — and a Franchise — in Houston
Janice grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where she was active in choir, sports and student government, eventually serving as president of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils. She graduated from Columbia College with a degree in education, according to Click2Houston, and later received an honorary doctorate from the same school.
She and Bob moved to Houston in 1960, decades before the NFL expansion team that would define much of their public life together. When the Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997 and became the Titans, the McNairs led the push to bring pro football back. The league awarded them an expansion franchise, and the Texans kicked off play in 2002 at what was then Reliant Stadium — the NFL’s first venue with a retractable roof.
The team has posted a 174-214-1 record since, with seven playoff wins and eight AFC South titles, according to ESPN.
Philanthropy Was the Real Legacy
Football brought the McNair name to national attention, but those close to the family point to their giving as the more lasting mark. The Houston Texans Foundation launched in 2002, the franchise’s inaugural year, and has since raised more than $51 million for causes across the city.
Beyond that, the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation created the McNair Scholars programs, funneling support to students and faculty at the University of South Carolina, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children’s Hospital. Combined, the family’s charitable giving topped half a billion dollars, per figures reported by Houston Public Media.
Hannah McNair, Cal’s wife and the Texans Foundation’s chief community officer, called her mother-in-law a guiding force. “Janice was more than a mentor, she was a dear friend, a role model, and a true queen mother,” Hannah McNair said in a statement. “Giving back was at the heart of everything she did, and I’m honored to carry her legacy and love for sports and community forward.”
Remembered by Coach and Team
DeMeco Ryans played linebacker for Houston from 2006 to 2011 and returned in 2023 as head coach, leading the Texans to three straight playoff appearances since. He remembered Janice as someone who welcomed him back into the fold personally.
“Mrs. McNair was an incredible woman who will be deeply missed,” Ryans said. “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.”
He added: “My thoughts and prayers are with Cal, Hannah and their family during this time.”
No public memorial service had been announced as of Tuesday evening. The Texans’ statement focused on Janice’s role in the franchise’s founding, her charitable footprint and the loss felt by both her family and the organization she helped build.
What Comes Next
Cal McNair remains in full control of the franchise, a transition that was already formalized when NFL owners approved him as principal owner at the league’s annual meeting in March 2024. Tuesday’s news doesn’t change day-to-day operations in Houston — Cal has run the team since his father’s death in 2018 — but it does close a chapter for a family that reshaped the city’s relationship with professional football.
“While I’m heartbroken,” Cal McNair said, “I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate.”
