Steve McNair

McNair with theBaltimore Ravens in 2007
No. 9
Position	Quarterback
Personal information
Born	(1973-02-14)February 14, 1973 Mount Olive, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	July 4, 2009(2009-07-04) (aged 36) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Mount Olive
College	Alcorn State (1991–1994)
NFL draft	1995: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Career history
Houston /Tennessee Oilers / Titans (1995–2005) Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007)
Awards and highlights
NFL Most Valuable Player (2003)[a] Second-teamAll-Pro (2003) 3×Pro Bowl (2000,2003,2005) NFL passer rating leader (2003) Titans/Oilers Ring of Honor Tennessee Titans No. 9 retired[1] Walter Payton Award (1994) Eddie Robinson Trophy (1994) 4×SWAC Offensive Player of the Year (1991–1994) SWAC Freshman of the Year (1991) 4× First-team All-SWAC (1991–1994)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts 4,544 Passing completions 2,733 Completion percentage 60.1% TD–INT 174–119 Passing yards 31,304 Passer rating 82.8 Rushing yards 3,590 Rushing touchdowns 38 Stats atPro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),^[2] nicknamed "Air McNair",^[3][4] was an American professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He started his first two seasons with theHouston Oilers before the team relocated toNashville, Tennessee, becoming the firstfranchise quarterback of theTennessee Titans. McNair also played for two seasons with theBaltimore Ravens.^[5]

McNair playedcollege football for theAlcorn State Braves, with whom he won the 1994Walter Payton Award as the top player inNCAA Division I-AA. McNair was selected third overall by the Oilers in the1995 NFL draft. He started six games in his first two seasons combined before becoming the team's regular starting quarterback for the 1997 season, and remained the starting quarterback for the Titans through 2005. After the 2005 season, McNair was traded to the Ravens, with whom he played for two seasons before retiring.^[6]

McNair appeared in the playoffs four times with the Titans, including their run toSuper Bowl XXXIV in 2000, and made his final playoff appearance in 2006 with the Ravens. He was selected to thePro Bowl thrice, and was anAll-Pro andCo-MVP in 2003.^[7] McNair was the first African-American quarterback to winAP NFL MVP and remains, along withCam Newton,Patrick Mahomes, andLamar Jackson, only one of four to win the award.^[8] In 2009, McNair was shot and killed by his mistress in amurder–suicide.

McNair was born in a small tin-roofed house inMount Olive, Mississippi, on February 14, 1973. He had four brothers,Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. McNair began attendingMount Olive High School in the fall of 1987, where he playedfootball,baseball, andbasketball in addition to running track. As a junior in 1989, McNair led the Mount Olive Pirates to the state championship. He also played free safety in high school, and in 1990 alone, McNair intercepted 15 passes, raising his career total to 30, which tied the mark established byTerrell Buckley atPascagoula High School.^[9] An All-State selection (offense), McNair was named an All-American bySuper Prep magazine (defense).^[9]

TheSeattle Mariners drafted McNair in the 35th round of the1991 MLB amateur draft.^[10]

McNair was initially offered a full scholarship to theUniversity of Florida to play running back, but wanting to play quarterback, he choseAlcorn State University, aHistorically Black University that competes in theNCAA's Division I-AA (now known as theFootball Championship Subdivision)Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In 1992, McNair threw 3,541 yards and 29 touchdowns, and ran in for 10 more scores. The Braves fashioned a record of 7–4, including a last-second victory in their rematch withGrambling. In that game, McNair returned from an injury and helped Alcorn State, trailing late in the final period, move deep into Tigers' territory. Then, despite a leg injury, he tucked the ball under his arm and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown. The victory over Grambling helped the Braves qualify for the I-AA playoffs where they faced off against then-Northeast Louisiana, falling 78–27 to the Indians on November 21, 1992. McNair helped Alcorn State to another good year in 1993, as the Braves upped their record to 8–3 while he threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. McNair was also named First-Team All-SWAC for the third year in a row.

As a senior, McNair gained 6,281 combined yards rushing (904) and passing (5,377), along with 56 touchdowns. His total offense averages were 571y/g over 11 games, the all-divisions collegiate per game record. In the process, McNair surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American. He also won theWalter Payton Award as the top I-AA player and finished third in theHeisman Trophy voting behindRashaan Salaam andKi-Jana Carter. McNair set career records for the Football Championship Series with 15,010 passing yards, as well as the division record for total offensive yards with 17,305 career yards.^[6] His record for career passing, total offensive yards, and total number of plays still stand, but his marks for career passing completions and attempts were eclipsed bySamford quarterbackDevlin Hodges in 2018.^[6][11]

McNair was a member of the fraternityOmega Psi Phi, highlighting his allegiance by tattooing "Omega Man" on his arm.^[9]

With the third overall pick in the1995 NFL draft, theHouston Oilers and new head coachJeff Fisher selected McNair in hopes of replacing former starterWarren Moon, making him at the time the highest-drafted African-Americanquarterback inNFL history and signing him to a seven-year contract.^[12] McNair did not see his first action until the last two series of the fourth quarter in a November game against theCleveland Browns. Late in the season, McNair also appeared briefly against theDetroit Lions andNew York Jets. In 1996, McNair remained a backup toChris Chandler until starting a game in Week 15 against theJacksonville Jaguars.^[13]

McNair's first season as the Oilers' starter in 1997 (the team's first year inTennessee) resulted in an 8–8 record for the team, which played its home games at theLiberty Bowl inMemphis, Tennessee. McNair's 2,665 passing yards were the most for the Oilers in a season sinceWarren Moon in 1993, and his 13 interceptions were the fewest for a single season in franchise history. McNair also led the team in rushing touchdowns with eight and ranked second behind running backEddie George with 674 yards on the ground, at the time the third-highest total for a quarterback in NFL history.

In 1998, McNair set career passing highs with 492 attempts, 289 completions, 3,228 yards, and 15 touchdowns for the Oilers, now playing in Nashville. He also cut his interceptions to 10, helping his quarterback rating climb to 80.1.

The team officially changed its name from Oilers to Titans for the 1999 season as they debuted a new stadium,Adelphia Coliseum. Early in the season, McNair was diagnosed with an inflamed disk following a narrow 36–35 victory over theCincinnati Bengals, and needed surgery. In his stead enteredNeil O'Donnell, a veteran who had guided thePittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl four years earlier. Over the next five games, O'Donnell led the Titans to a 4–1 record. McNair returned against theSt. Louis Rams, and with McNair starting, Tennessee won seven of its last nine games, good for a 13–3 record and second place in theAFC Central.

The Titans opened theplayoffs at home against theBuffalo Bills in a Wild Card game, winning on the "Music City Miracle" and eventually advancing toSuper Bowl XXXIV in a postseason rematch with the Rams. On the penultimate play of the game with the Titans facing 3rd-and-5 to go, McNair was hit by two Rams defenders, but he somehow got away and completed a 16-yard pass toKevin Dyson to gain a first down at the Rams' 10-yard line. On the final play of the game, McNair's pass to Dyson was complete, butDyson was unable to break the plane of the goal line, giving the Rams a 23–16 victory. In his only Super Bowl appearance, McNair threw 22-of-36 for 214 yards while rushing eight times for 64 yards.^[14] McNair signed a new six-year contract after the 1999 season worth US$47 million.^[15]

McNair played in all 16 games in 2000 but did not start the first of two annual games against the Steelers because of a sternum injury incurred in a 17–14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs the previous game. Following the Titans’ bye week,Neil O'Donnell started against his former team, but after O'Donnell threw three interceptions, McNair came in and threw a touchdown toErron Kinney; a missed Steelers field goal attempt resulted in the Titans winning 23–20.

Following a 13–3 season in 2000 which ended in a playoff loss to theBaltimore Ravens, McNair put together his most productive year as a pro in 2001. In 2001, McNair registered career passing highs in yards (3,350), completions (264), touchdowns (21), and quarterback rating (90.2). He was also the team's most effective rusher, tying George for the club lead with five scores. Named to the Pro Bowl for the first time, McNair sat out the game due to a shoulder injury.^[16]

In 2002, the Titans finished the regular season 11–5 and reached the playoffs. In the Divisional Round against thePittsburgh Steelers, McNair threw for a career postseason high 338 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while rushing for 29 yards and another score on the ground. The game had a controversial finish when, after missing a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time and a second failed kick in overtime was negated because of a controversial running-into-the-kicker penalty on Pittsburgh'sDewayne Washington, kickerJoe Nedney won the game from 26 yards out 2:15 into overtime. Steelers coachBill Cowher said that he called a timeout before the winning kick took place. McNair and the Titans reached the AFC Championship Game, but lost to theOakland Raiders 41–24.

Between the 2002 and 2003 seasons, McNair was arrested for DUI and illegal gun possession in May 2003. His blood alcohol was above 0.10, and a 9-mm handgun was sitting in the front of the car.^[17] All charges related to the incident were later dropped.^[6]

In December of the 2003 season, an injured calf and ankle kept McNair sidelined for two games, though he still finished with the best numbers of his career, including 3,215 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, just seven interceptions,^[18] and a quarterback rating of 100.4. The Titans finished 12–4, the same record as the Colts, but Indianapolis took theAFC South division championship by virtue of its two victories over Tennessee. McNair and Colts quarterbackPeyton Manning were named co-NFL MVPs following the 2003 season, which ended for the Titans in a playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl championNew England Patriots in the Divisional Round. McNair finished the 2003 season as the league leader inpasser rating and became the youngest player in NFL history to pass for 20,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards.

McNair missed the 2004 season's fourth game with a bruised sternum, an injury suffered the previous week against Jacksonville,^[19] and played in only five more games that season. In 2005, he played in 14 games because of a back injury.

This series of season-ending injuries prompted the Titans to make the business decision of locking McNair out of team headquarters in the 2006 offseason. The team would not let him rehab in its building because it feared an injury would force the franchise to pay him $23.46 million (his contract had been restructured so often that his salary cap reached a hard-to-manage amount). ThePlayers Association's filed a grievance on his behalf in which an arbitrator ruled that the team violated its contract, opening the possibility for a trade.^[20]

On April 30, 2006, the Titans allowed McNair and his agent,James "Bus" Cook, to speak with theBaltimore Ravens to try to work out a deal.^[21] By May 2006, theBaltimore Sun reported that the Ravens were interested in McNair.^[22] Speculation was that the Titans might hold onto McNair until the week before training camp in late July if the Ravens didn't come up with a satisfactory trade offer for McNair according to a league source.^[23] However, on June 7, the two teams worked out a deal to send McNair to the Ravens for a fourth-round pick in the2007 NFL draft. The next day, McNair flew to Baltimore, passed a physical, and was announced as the newest member of the Ravens.^[21]

The 2006 season saw McNair start each game for the Ravens, missing only portions of two games. During Week 14 against theKansas City Chiefs, McNair threw the longest regular-season touchdown pass in the Ravens' history, an 89-yard touchdown pass toMark Clayton. McNair led Baltimore to a 13–3 record and anAFC North title. He made his first playoff start as a Raven against the Colts on January 13, 2007. McNair completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 173 yards and two interceptions as the Ravens lost 15–6.^[24]

On May 9, 2007, McNair was arrested in Nashville for drunk driving even though he was not driving at the time. It is a misdemeanor offense in Tennessee for an owner of a motor vehicle to knowingly allow an intoxicated person to drive the vehicle. McNair was riding in his own pickup truck as a passenger when the police stopped the truck's driver, McNair's brother-in-law, for speeding. The driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI; McNair was charged with DUI by consent.^[25] The quarterback's charge was dropped on July 10, 2007, when McNair's brother-in-law pleaded guilty to reckless driving.^[26]

In 2007, McNair did not play in Week 2 against the Jets, which the Ravens won 20–13. He also did not play the full game in Week 3, but the Ravens won 26–23. McNair missed nine more games during the rest of the season, due primarily to injury, only starting in six games.

After 13 seasons in the NFL, McNair announced his retirement from professional football in April 2008.^[27] At the time he retired, McNair was one of just three quarterbacks (Fran Tarkenton andSteve Young being the others) to throw for 30,000 yards and run for 3,500 yards.^[28]

In July 2012, McNair was named the 35th greatest quarterback of the NFL's post-merger era, according to Football Nation.^[29] His number was retired by the Titans during a halftime ceremony on September 15, 2019.^[30]

McNair was inducted into theBlack College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2020.^[31][32]

McNair was married to Mechelle McNair^[33] from June 21, 1997, until his death. McNair split his time between a farm in Mississippi andNashville, Tennessee.^[6] McNair had two sons with Mechelle: Tyler and Trenton; and two sons – Stephen Jr. and Steven O'Brian – with two other women before he and Mechelle married.^[34]

McNair earned the nickname "Air McNair" in high school. He opened his own restaurant in Nashville, which he named Gridiron9.^[35] McNair is a cousin of NFL linebackerDemario Davis.^[36]

On July 4, 2009, McNair was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds, along with the body of a 20-year-old woman named Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi, in a condominium rented by McNair in downtown Nashville. He was only 36 years old.^[37] Kazemi and McNair had been previously involved with each other romantically.^[38][39] The day of the shooting, text messages between the pair were exchanged proclaiming their love to one another in which Kazemi texted the victim, "u love me" in which McNair replied, "I love you baby."^[40] There was also a conversation about financial issues where McNair transferred $2,000 to Kazemi, who said she was "stressed" and needed to pay her phone bill. McNair then offered to come over to check on her after she said her chest felt heavy. The night of his death, McNair put his children to bed, and then at 11:00 p.m. he texted Kazemi "On my way."^[40]

McNair, who was believed to have been asleep on the couch when the shooting occurred, was shot twice in the chest and twice in the head, with only one of the shots coming from closer than three feet (0.9 m).^[41][42][43] After killing him, Kazemi sat on the couch beside him and shot herself in the temple.^[44] The bodies were discovered by McNair's friends, Wayne Neely and Robert Gaddy, who called 911.^[45] TheNashville police declared McNair's death a murder-suicide, with Kazemi as the perpetrator and McNair as the victim.^[46][47] The 9-mm gun used was found under Kazemi's body and later tests revealed "trace evidence of (gunpowder) residue on her left hand.^[46] Kazemi had a worsening financial situation and also suspected that McNair was in another extramarital relationship.^[48][46]

Two days before their deaths, Kazemi was pulled over in a black 2007Cadillac Escalade in Nashville. McNair was in the passenger seat and Vent Gordon, a chef at a restaurant McNair owned, was in the back seat. The vehicle was registered in the names of both McNair and Kazemi. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.^[37] McNair was not arrested, instead leaving in a taxi with Gordon, despite Kazemi repeatedly asking the arresting officer to tell McNair to come to the police car to talk to her. However, McNair later bailed Kazemi out of jail.^[49] The police later stated that after being released from jail, Kazemi purchased the gun from a convicted murderer she met while looking for a buyer for her Kia.^[50]

Titans ownerBud Adams released a statement regarding McNair:^[51]

We are saddened and shocked to hear the news of Steve McNair's passing today. He was one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans. He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they deal with his untimely passing.

In a statement to theAP,Ozzie Newsome, executive vice president and general manager of theBaltimore Ravens, stated:^[41][52]

This is so, so sad. We immediately think of his family, his boys. They are all in our thoughts and prayers. What we admired most about Steve when we played against him was his competitive spirit, and we were lucky enough to have that with us for two years. He is one of the best players in the NFL over the last 20 years...

The Titans held a two-day memorial atLP Field on July 8 and 9, 2009, where fans could pay their last respects to McNair. Highlights of his career were played throughout both days, and fans were able to sign books that were later given to the McNair family.

During the 2009 NFL season, every member of the Titans wore a commemorative "9" sticker placed on the back of their helmet to honor McNair. Funeral services were held for McNair at theReed Green Coliseum on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi on July 11; he was buried at Griffith Cemetery inPrentiss, Mississippi.^[53]

McNair died without alast will and testament, and his assets were frozen pendingprobate of his estate.^[54] On October 15, 2010, it was reported that McNair's widow went to a Nashville judge and asked that at least a portion of the assets be unfrozen for his children's care and expenses until the estate matters were resolved in court. The judge agreed, and each of the four children received $500,000.^[55]

External videos
McNair at Alcorn State
McNair with the Tennessee Titans
McNair's retirement press conference

• Career statistics fromESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Steve McNair atFind a Grave
• Quotations related toSteve McNair at Wikiquote

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