The Houston sports community is mourning the loss of an icon. The co-founder and senior chair of the Texans, Janice S. McNair, passed away on Tuesday. She was 89. McNair became a monolith in H-Town’s sports scene and made sure to give back to the community. Although she was not directly involved with the Rockets, her absence creates a significant void in the community. Her memory unites the city’s major sports teams in grief, prompting a heartfelt tribute from the Fertitta Family.

The Rockets’ owners released an official joint statement expressing their profound sorrow. It read as follows:

“The Houston Rockets and the Fertitta Family are saddened by the passing of Houston Texans Co-Founder Janice McNair. Janice was a remarkable leader, philanthropist, and champion for the city of Houston. Alongside her late husband, Bob McNair, she helped shape the landscape of professional sports in our community while leaving a lasting legacy through her generosity, compassion, and commitment to serving others. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the McNair family, the Houston Texans organization, and all those whose lives were touched by Janice.”

McNair died of natural causes, her son revealed. On social media, the community’s grief was very clear. Most online reactions were just filled with prayer hands emojis, but one fan poetically summed up her huge impact beyond the NFL, saying: “She left a bigger impact on Houston than any buzzer-beater ever could.”

Janice McNair’s Houston Rockets connection

Janice McNair’s legacy is forever intertwined with the modern era of professional sports in Houston. Along with her late husband, Robert “Bob” McNair, she played a key role in securing an NFL expansion franchise in 2002, filling the massive void left by the Houston Oilers’ move to Tennessee in 1997.

Bob and Janice reportedly had turned down opportunities to buy Washington, Miami, Carolina, and Jacksonville because they felt a strong home-like connection to Houston.

Yes, the Rockets won both of their NBA titles in the mid-1990s, but the loss of the city’s football team had hit hard. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and Bob McNair went way back. They were close friends and also business partners. However, due to the NFL’s gambling regulations, Fertitta sold his interest in the Texans after buying a casino.

“It’s one of those things that happens in business,” Fertitta said in 2008. “I think it’s a ridiculous rule, but I don’t make the rules always.”

Bob also expressed that Fertitta wanted to remain a partner, and the feeling was mutual. However, “it was really out of our hands.”

The McNairs were disappointed to lose their friend’s partnership, but the connection between the Rockets and Texans franchises remained strong. After Bob’s death, Janice even made the Forbes 400 list (estimated net worth of $5 billion) with Fertitta in 2022!

After losing her husband in 2018, Janice stepped into the role of principal owner, providing a steady hand for the franchise through several transitional periods. She held that position for six years before the NFL Board of Governors approved the transfer of primary franchise ownership to her son, Cal McNair, in March 2024.

“Mom was exceptional,” Cal, who continues to serve as the Texans’ chair and CEO, said in a family 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… 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.”

Beyond the football field, the McNairs became renowned for their unparalleled charitable contributions. Under their guidance, the family and the Houston Texans Foundation donated more than $500 million to educational, medical, and youth programs, with the foundation raising over $51 million since 2002.

The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation established the McNair Scholars programs “to recruit the best and brightest students and faculty to the University of South Carolina, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children’s Hospital.”

DeMeco Ryans, who represented the Texans as a player from 2006-11 before returning as the head coach three years ago, admitted that “she and Mr. McNair built an organization that felt like a family, and it was a true honor to play for them.”

Franchise legend JJ Watt offered his condolences online, writing, “All of us who were graced with your presence and kindness are better for it.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also paid homage to her generational influence.

“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 stated.

McNair’s enduring presence was commemorated last year when she was inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor as its fourth member.

“I really want to say, ‘Let’s go, Texans, let’s win this ballgame,'” she said during the induction.

Her death comes almost five years after she suffered a stroke, which then restricted her to a wheelchair and around-the-clock nurses.

She is survived by four children, sixteen grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.