Particle.news
Download on the App Store
32 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Janice McNair, Texans Co‑Founder, Dies at 89

Cal McNair will continue to lead the franchise as his mother’s decades of philanthropy helped bring the NFL back to Houston.

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans co-founder and former owner Janice McNair looks on with son and Texans chief executive officer Cal McNair in the background before a game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Janice McNair, who died Tuesday, operated as the Texans' principal owner after her husband Bob McNair's death in 2018, but she handed those duties to her son Cal McNair (left) in 2024.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Houston Texans announced that Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston with family at her side on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
  • Janice and her husband Bob won the NFL expansion franchise that became the Houston Texans, with the team beginning play in 2002 to restore pro football to the city after the Oilers left.
  • After Bob McNair’s death in 2018, Janice served as principal owner and in spring 2024 she transferred principal ownership and day-to-day control to her son Cal McNair, who will remain the franchise leader.
  • The McNairs built a large civic and charitable footprint focused on education and medical research, giving the team’s estimate of more than $500 million through their foundations and programs such as the McNair Scholars.
  • League and team leaders, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, issued tributes praising her leadership and generosity, and no detailed medical cause of death has been publicly disclosed.