The Houston Texans organization and the NFL community are mourning the loss of team co-founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair, who died peacefully Tuesday afternoon in Houston at the age of 89, surrounded by her family.
Nicolas Dorigatti | June 14, 2026
The Houston Texans organization and the NFL community are mourning the loss of team co-founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair, who died peacefully Tuesday afternoon in Houston at the age of 89, surrounded by her family.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side," the Texans said in a statement announcing her passing.
A Life Rooted in Houston
Janice McNair grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where she was active in choir, student government and athletics, serving as president of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils and governor of South Carolina Girls' State. She earned a degree in education from Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina, which later awarded her an honorary doctorate.
In 1960, Janice and her husband, Robert "Bob" McNair, moved to Houston, where they would raise four children — Cal, Cary, Ruth and Melissa — and spend more than six decades building both a business empire and a legacy of civic generosity. Bob McNair made his fortune founding the energy company Cogen Technologies, which he sold to Enron in 1999 for $1.5 billion, capital that helped fund the family's pursuit of an NFL franchise.
Bringing Football Back to Houston
After the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997, the city spent years without an NFL team. Janice and Bob McNair spearheaded the effort to reverse that, and in 1999 the NFL awarded the McNairs the league's 32nd franchise. The Houston Texans were born, taking the field for the first time in 2002.
While Bob McNair often stood in the public spotlight during the team's formative years, Janice was widely regarded as his closest partner and advisor, helping shape the organization's identity and culture from its earliest days.
Stepping Into Ownership
Bob McNair died in November 2018 after battling leukemia and squamous cell carcinoma. Janice succeeded him as the Texans' principal owner, guiding the franchise through one of the most consequential stretches in its history — a period marked by front-office upheaval, coaching changes and a wholesale roster rebuild.
Under her ownership, the Texans eventually stabilized and began to emerge as one of the NFL's most promising young teams, anchored by quarterback C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans. In March 2024, NFL owners formally approved the transfer of the principal ownership title to her son, Cal McNair, who had been serving as the team's chief operating officer. Even after the transition, Janice remained a visible and deeply respected presence within the organization, holding the title of Senior Chair. Since the franchise's founding, the Texans have compiled a 174-214-1 record with seven playoff wins and eight AFC South titles.
Her later years were not without difficulty. In 2024, her son Robert Cary McNair Jr. sought to have her declared legally incapacitated and petitioned to be appointed her guardian, a move Janice and her attorneys contested as unwarranted. Cary McNair later dropped the guardianship effort, though he has continued pursuing separate litigation against the NFL over his family's business interests.
A Legacy of Philanthropy
Beyond football, the McNair name became synonymous with philanthropy in Houston and beyond. Through the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, North Carolina, and the Houston Texans Foundation, the family directed more than half a billion dollars toward education, healthcare and medical research. Janice served as a director of each foundation.
The Houston Texans Foundation, established alongside the franchise in 2002, has raised more than $51 million to support youth development and community resources in the Houston area. Through the McNair Foundation, Janice and Bob also created the McNair Scholars programs, which fund top students and faculty at institutions including 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. Their giving to medical research included a transformative 2007 gift to Baylor College of Medicine supporting scientists developing new treatments. Janice was also a breast cancer survivor.
Ring of Honor
In recognition of her decades of contributions to both the franchise and the city, the Texans inducted Janice McNair into the team's Ring of Honor in 2025, making her the fourth honoree. She was celebrated in a halftime ceremony at NRG Stadium, where fans expressed their gratitude for her role in returning football to Houston and for the impact of her work in the years since.
Remembrances Pour In
Tributes to McNair came from across the league following news of her death. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised her generosity and faith, crediting her, alongside Bob, with helping build an organization defined by service and integrity to the community.
Cal McNair, now the Texans' chairman and CEO, remembered his mother as someone whose warmth and hope shaped both his family and the franchise. "Mom was exceptional," he said, adding that her generosity "will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization."
Hannah McNair, chief community officer and vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation, called Janice a mentor and role model whose commitment to giving back defined the organization's culture from the start.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans, who returned to Houston in 2023, recalled being welcomed back into the "Texans family" personally by Janice, and said he would continue working to honor the shared vision she and the McNair family built.
Survived by Family, Remembered by a City
Janice McNair is survived by her four children — Cal, Cary, Ruth and Melissa — along with 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. The Texans did not disclose a cause of death.
As the organization looks ahead to the 2026 season, it does so honoring one of the most consequential figures in its history — a woman whose vision, faith and generosity helped bring professional football back to Houston and left an imprint on the city that extends far beyond the game itself.
Nicolas Dorigatti is a senior contributor for Sportsmedia News, covering NFL ownership, team business, and the history of professional football.