Reliant Stadium will be busy Thursday night with the Houston Texans’ second preseason game, but things got started early over there with ABC’s “Good Morning America” going live from the field for a segment on the team and its fans.
With this season’s Super Bowl being broadcast by ABC for the first time since 2006, the popular morning show is visiting all 32 NFL cities throughout the season.
For the Texans, it got Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Johnson and former defensive lineman Travis Johnson out of bed early to do a live shot on the field with ABC’s Will Reeve along with Toro and some of the team’s cheerleaders and fans.
The six-minute segment featured pre-recorded interviews with coach DeMeco Ryans, owners Cal and Hannah McNair and super fans Steve Beckholt, Mark Baughman and Pamela Irby, focusing on the team entering its 25th season.
“Twenty-five years later, it just gets better and better ever year,” said Irby, who leads the Traveling Texans group that attends the team’s road games.
“They would have loved to see everything we’re doing to celebrate the 25th season,” said Hannah McNair, who is married to the McNairs’ son Cal. “We’re just very excited to be able to honor them.
Andre Johnson, who was drafted before the Texans’ second season and is in the franchise’s Ring of Honor, presented Reeve, son of late actor Christopher Reeve, with a personalized jersey, and Travis Johnson announced that the Texans Fan Council, some of whom were present for the segment, would be the flagholders during the national anthem before the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 13.
“I got to see the organization grow to where it is now,” Andre Johnson told Reeve. “Everything is just headed forward for us. Super excited and hopefully we end this season in the Super Bowl.”