Bob McNair Dies in Houston, Leaving a City-Changing Legacy: The Man Who Brought the NFL Back to the Bayou City is Gone

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair died today at age 81. The man who brought NFL football back to Houston has been battling skin cancer and made few public appearances this season — even as the coach he showed confidence in, Bill O’Brien, has led the Texans on a seven-game winning streak.

McNair passed with his wife Janice and his family at his side. The Texans owner resolutely battled skin cancer for years — and its return was evident last season when he showed up to a game with large bandages over his ear. Still, Bob McNair never wanted the focus to be on him or his health fight.

McNair leaves a legacy of billionaire giving (the energy tycoon once donated $100 million to Baylor College of Medicine in one single gift — and gave more than $500 million in his lifetime) and filled the void left after the Houston Oilers bolted town by securing an NFL expansion franchise for Houston. He later worked to bring the 2017 Super Bowl to Houston, one of two Super Bowls the Bayou City hosted during McNair’s ownership of the Texans.

The Texans are 117-149 with four playoff appearances in McNair’s 17 seasons of ownership. In his later years, as he faced serious health issues, McNair ran into controversy with remarks at the owner’s meetings that many found offensive.

With McNair’s wife, Janice McNair, still a vibrant force in the community and his son, Cal McNair, already having been promoted to Texans chairman in July, the Texans seem to be set up for continued solid family ownership.

But this is a day to mourn McNair and his immense, complicated legacy. In many ways, the tale of Bob McNair the man is a remarkable American success story. Born in Tampa, McNair found himself close to bankruptcy in the early 1980s after a truck leasing company he founded after he moved to Houston floundered. Called McNair Truck Lease, it was one of his many early businesses.

Pivoting from that, he started Cogen Technologies Energy Group — and within a decade, it became the nation’s largest privately owned cogeneration company with five power plants.

“Many people say I was an overnight success, and I was, after 20 years of struggling,” McNair once said in a Houston Lifestyles & Home profile.

This self-made success story later focused his energies on bringing NFL football back to Houston, paying a then record $700 million in 1999 to secure the Texans expansion franchise. If it wasn’t for McNair, Los Angeles may have had an NFL team much earlier — and Houston could still be waiting for one.

“During his nearly two decades as an NFL owner, Bob McNair left a lasting mark on his city and our league. His leadership and determination brought the NFL back to Houston, built a magnificent stadium that hosted two Super Bowls,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

Now, the only owner the Houston Texans have ever known is gone.