{"id":373135,"date":"2026-07-14T22:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/373135\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T22:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:03:09","slug":"houston-texans-co-founder-janice-mcnair-dies-at-89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/373135\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Texans co-founder Janice McNair dies at 89"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Houston Texans co-founder and former owner Janice McNair looks on before a game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium in Houston.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2024-12-21T090556Z_1779770874_MT1USATODAY25039033_RTRMADP_3_NFL-MIAMI-DOLPHINS-AT-HOUSTON-TEXANS-102.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" class=\"image-next-root\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Article_ImageCaptionCredit__wtmKL article-image-caption-credit inherit Typography_base__T6j8f\">Janice McNair, along with her husband, Bob, worked to bring the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee following the 1996 season. Troy Taormina \/ USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p>July 14, 2026 Updated 5:35 pm EDT<\/p>\n<p>The Houston Texans announced that team co-founder Janice S. McNair died Tuesday in Houston. She was 89.<\/p>\n<p>The team did not reveal a cause of death, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HoustonTexans\/status\/2077121322996400267\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">saying<\/a> that she \u201cpassed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOutside of our family, nothing mattered more to her than her beloved Texans,\u201d Texans CEO and principal owner Cal McNair said <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HoustonTexans\/status\/2077127065824858603\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">in a statement<\/a>. \u201cI remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with her husband, Bob McNair, Janice worked in the late 1990s to bring the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee following the 1996 season. Janice held principal ownership of the Texans with Bob until the latter died in 2018. Janice transferred ownership to her son, Cal, in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community, and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization,\u201d Cal continued in his statement. \u201cWhile I\u2019m heartbroken, I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team, and our community\u2026&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dH3KOrMrKT\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/dH3KOrMrKT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HoustonTexans\/status\/2077127065824858603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who won three defensive player of the year awards while playing for the Texans, paid tribute to Janice McNair in a post on X, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jjwatt\/status\/2077137887355638182?s=46&amp;t=OG9YEWwn8j4UJx8_THvTkQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">writing<\/a>: \u201cRest in Peace Janice. All of us who were graced with your presence and kindness are better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Janice is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iNiIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxMCIgdmlld0JveD0iMCAwIDI0IDI0IiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPgo8cGF0aCBkPSJNMjQgMS45NTU1OUwxMC41MjQ3IDIxTDAgMTMuMjczTDEuOTYwMzEgMTAuNTUyTDkuNzY2NDggMTYuMjgzMUwyMS4yODc5IDBMMjQgMS45NTU1OVoiIGZpbGw9IiMwMDAwMDAiPjwvcGF0aD4KPC9zdmc+Cg==\" style=\"width:6px\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"PuzzleEntryPoint_PuzzlesIcon__Po_hP\" 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alt=\"Connections: Sports Edition Logo\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"PuzzleEntryPoint_PuzzlesIcon__Po_hP\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,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\" alt=\"Connections: Sports Edition Logo\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jul 14, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Connections: Sports Edition<\/p>\n<p class=\"PuzzleEntryPoint_PuzzlesMobileSubtitle__BhT5j\">Spot the pattern. Connect the terms<\/p>\n<p class=\"PuzzleEntryPoint_PuzzlesDesktopSubtitle__cgpmH\">Find the hidden link between sports terms<\/p>\n<p class=\"PuzzleEntryPoint_PuzzlesButtonText__PsrSe\">Play today&#8217;s puzzle<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Janice McNair, along with her husband, Bob, worked to bring the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373136,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57,79,80],"class_list":["post-373135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-houston-texans","tag-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}