HOUSTON -- Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair died Tuesday in Houston, the team announced. She was 89.
"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. "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 became the Texans' principal owner after her husband, Bob McNair, the Texans' former owner, died in November 2018. Janice and Bob played a pivotal role in bringing an NFL team back to Houston after the Oilers left in 1996.
Since bringing a team back to Houston in 2002, the Texans are 174-214-1 with seven playoff wins and eight AFC South titles.
"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."
Bob owned the team when the Texans originated and when Bob died their son Cal, who was the Texans' chief operating officer at the time, became more involved in decision-making. But Janice was still the principal owner.
In March 2024, the owner title switched when NFL owners approved Cal to become the new franchise principal owner at the annual league meeting. Over the past three years, the Texans have established themselves as a prime contender as they have reached the divisional round in the past three seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans, who also played for the Texans when Bob was the owner from 2005-11.
"Mrs. McNair was an incredible woman who will be deeply missed. As a player, she and Mr. McNair built an organization that felt like a family and it was a true honor to play for them," Ryans said. "I will always remember the day I came home to Houston in 2023. Mrs. McNair welcomed me back into the Texans family with open arms and her signature warm smile. We shared the same vision of bringing the organization to new heights and I will continue to work every day to accomplish that goal."