Janice McNair, Houston Texans’ co-founder, dies at 89

HOUSTON — Janice McNair, the co-founder of the Houston Texans and senior chair of the NFL franchise, died on Tuesday, the team announced. She was 89.

In a social media post, the Texans said McNair passed away at the age of 89, surrounded by her family.

McNair became the Texans’ principal owner after her husband, Bob McNair, the Texans’ former owner, died in November 2018, ESPN reported. The couple played a pivotal role in bringing an NFL team back to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee in 1996.

She co-founded the Texans with her husband in 1999 before the team’s initial expansion in 2002, KTRK reported.

The Texans are 174-214-1 with seven playoff wins and eight AFC South titles under the McNairs’ ownership, according to ESPN.

Born in South Carolina, Janice McNair came to Houston with her husband in 1960, according to the television station.

Janice served as the director of the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation, and the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation, KTRK reported.

In 2024, NFL owners approved the couple’s son, Cal McNair, to become the new franchise principal owner at the annual league meeting, according to ESPN.

“Mom was exceptional. 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,” Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “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.”

“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 held dear -- service, integrity, and commitment to community.”

“All of us who were graced with your presence and kindness are better for it,” J.J. Watt, who played 10 of his 12 NFL seasons in Houston, wrote on social media.

In 2025, Janice McNair became the fourth member inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor, KTRK reported.

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