The Houston Texans announced the demise of their co-founder and owner, Janice McNair, on July 14, at the age of 89. As tributes poured in from across the NFL world, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also offered his condolences to McNair and his family.

Jones shared a heartfelt message through a statement on July 15 on the team’s official X account, remembering McNair for her leadership, kindness, and legacy.

"Janice McNair, alongside her beloved husband Bob and family, brought the NFL back to Houston in the strongest of ways," Jones said in a statement, per X post of the Dallas Cowboys. "She has been a dear friend to Gene [Jones’s wife], and I, and we cherish the many years we have known her and admired her so deeply."

Janice McNair co-founded the Texans franchise with her husband Bob McNair in 1999. She became the organization's principal owner after her husband died in 2018, before handing the ownership to her son, Cal McNair, in 2024.

Bob and Janice McNair helped restore an NFL team to Houston after former owner Bud Adams moved the Houston Oilers to Tennessee in 1997 (which is now called the Tennessee Titans),

“Most importantly, she was a shining example of how leadership, character, and influence can extend far beyond the field by caring for her community, guiding with integrity and purpose, and establishing a heartfelt philanthropic ethos that is at the core of their franchise operating culture,” Jones said in a statement, per X post of the Dallas Cowboys.

Janice McNair was also widely recognized for her philanthropy. She helped provide millions of college scholarships through the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation.

The couple secured the NFL's 32nd franchise (Houston Texans) on October 6, 1999, and paid an extension fee of $700 million, after finalizing a stadium plan.

Jones was one among several prominent NFL figures who paid tribute to McNair and offered their condolences, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also honored her lasting impact on the league.

Roger Goodell honors Janice McNair's lasting NFL legacy

NFL Commissioner extended his heartfelt condolences on behalf of the NFL community to the McNair family and the Texans organization.

"Janice McNair was a woman of extraordinary generosity, grace, and faith, whose impact on the Houston community and the NFL will be felt for generations," Goodell said in a statement, per the Houston Texans' official site. "On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the McNair family, the Texans organization, and the Houston community."

In his tribute, Goodell remembered McNair's contributions to bringing the NFL back to Houston and developing a culture of service and integrity in the franchise.

Janice McNair is one of the ten female NFL team co-owners and was the fourth inductee into the Texans' Ring of Honor.

She is survived by her four children, sons Cary and Cal McNair, and daughters Melissa and Ruth.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar