Steve McNair was the product of small-town Mount Olive, Mississippi, where he excelled as a multi-sport athlete. He was a quarterback and free safety who was offered a scholarship to play running back at the University of Florida. Considering his desire to play quarterback at the collegiate level, McNair opted for Alcorn State.
Again, McNair excelled as a quarterback and found himself with All-American honors and third place in the 1994 Heisman vote. The result? Being chosen third overall in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. His tenure in Houston provided him a chance to play sparingly, but it wasn’t until 1997 when McNair finally earned the chance to start full time.
The rest, as they say, is history.
He quarterbacked the Titans to the team’s only Super Bowl appearance on January 30, 2000. It is widely considered one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, as Tennessee came up short to Kurt Warner’s St. Louis Rams to the tune of 23-16. Even more dramatic was the final play, which saw McNair hit Kevin Dyson with a pass that was taken to the 1-yard line before Mike Jones made a Super Bowl-saving tackle.
“Air McNair” played in 161 games for the Oilers/Titans and Baltimore Ravens over a lengthy, 13-year career. He retired in 2008 with 31,304 passing yards, 174 touchdown passes, a completion percentage of 60.1%, and a career passer rating of 82.8.
While hardly Hall of Fame-caliber numbers, they were good enough to land McNair spots in three Pro Bowls and an NFL co-MVP award (in 2003). When reflecting upon his career, the stats hardly figure into the equation anyway.
More so, his leadership and toughness are what’s remembered about McNair’s playing style. His career is littered with moments that made fans wonder if the man was truly invincible.
At the very least, we may have wondered if he had any sort of pain threshold or physical limitations at all. He was the definition of dual-threat without an obvious preference to running or passing. No, McNair was special in that he was willing to do whatever he had to do to win on the play.
Such an example contributed to a football culture that promoted both physical and mental toughness. That’s a culture the Titans haven’t possessed in years.
McNair was found dead on July 4, 2009 – the apparent victim of a murder-suicide involving his mistress. The event was an outright tragedy in the Nashville community. Our “iron man” was found vulnerable, flawed and taken too soon.
McNair was the key cog in the glory years of the Titans. As for his place in NFL lore, he’s underrated. Those close to the game recognize just what a rare combination of talent and competitive spirit he presented. Casual fans don’t realize his true value because he didn’t have the eye-popping stats to draw attention to his self.
One thing is indisputable – he has a special, if not pitied or misunderstood, place in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee Titans Throwback Thursday Archives
Drew Bennett
Keith Bulluck
Eddie George
Chris Henry
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.
