Houston Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Dies
On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston with her family by her side. She was 89 years old. The team announced the news that afternoon.
Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair, her son, shared: "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. 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 and her late husband Bob McNair founded the Texans franchise, bringing the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers left. Bob died in 2018, after which Janice served as principal owner until transferring that role to Cal in 2024. She remained senior chair.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said: "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. 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 they held dear—service, integrity, and commitment to community."
Head coach DeMeco Ryans added: "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. 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."
She is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. In 2025 she was inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor. The Houston Texans Foundation, launched in 2002 under the McNairs, has raised more than $51 million for the community.