Texans Co-Founder Janice McNair Dies at 89 in Houston

Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair died Tuesday in Houston at age 89, the team announced. She became the team's principal owner after her husband Bob McNair, the former owner, died in November 2018.

Janice and Bob McNair played a pivotal role in bringing an NFL team back to Houston after the Oilers left in 1996. The Texans began play in 2002 and hold a record of 174-214-1 with seven playoff wins and eight AFC South titles. "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.

"It's impossible to describe the profound gratitude that my sisters, Ruth and Melissa, and I feel for having her as our mom. " NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that McNair was a woman of extraordinary generosity, grace and faith whose impact on the Houston community and the NFL will be felt for generations.

"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," Goodell said.

In March 2024, NFL owners approved Cal McNair to become the new franchise principal owner. Head coach DeMeco Ryans, who played for the Texans from 2005 to 2011 and returned as coach in 2023, said McNair built an organization that felt like a family. "McNair welcomed me back into the Texans family with open arms and her signature warm smile," Ryans said.