The Chargers are honoring the life of Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 89.
"Janice was an extraordinary woman and a true force for good," said Dean Spanos, the Chargers Owner and Chairman of the Board. "As a breast cancer survivor like Susie (Spanos), her advocacy for medical research and work in that space always stood out to us.
"Her prolific philanthropy didn't just lift up the Houston community, her generosity and thoughtfulness made the entire NFL a better place," Spanos added. "As we celebrate a life well lived, our thoughts and prayers are with Cal, Hannah and the entire McNair family."
McNair grew up in Orangeburg, S.C., was active in sports, choir and student government, president of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils and governor of the South Carolina Girls' State. She graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, S.C. with a degree in education and later received an honorary doctorate from Columbia College.
She moved to Houston in 1960 and raised four children with her husband, Bob, focusing on a lifelong career of giving back to the community. The McNairs were generous philanthropists, making education and medical research the cornerstones of their charitable giving. In total, Bob and Janice contributed more than a half billion dollars to charity. Contributions were made through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation and The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, N.C. Janice served as a director of each foundation.
Through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, Janice and Bob established McNair Scholars programs which recruit the best and brightest students and faculty to the University of South Carolina, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children's Hospital. Their contributions to academic medical research, including a transformational gift in 2007 to Baylor College of Medicine support medical scientists who are innovating treatments for disease. The McNair Campus was named in recognition of their generosity. In 2015, the McNairs established programs at universities across the country to empower students with an understanding of free enterprise systems and with the entrepreneurial skills to create new enterprises. The McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina serves as a model for entrepreneurism centers in higher education.
In 1999, the Texans were awarded to Bob McNair as the team began play in 2002. The Houston Texans Foundation was created in at the inception of the franchise. It was born out of Janice and Bob's strong desire to do great things for Houston, especially Houston's youth. Since the Texans Foundation's inception in 2002, more than $51 million has been raised to inspire hope in H-Town. The Texans Foundation leverages the power of football to strengthen our community, support youth development and break down barriers to fundamental resources.
In 2025, Mrs. McNair was inducted as the fourth member of the Texans Ring of Honor. She was honored at a halftime ceremony where she was lauded by Texans fans who showed their appreciation to her for bringing football back to Houston and the immeasurable impact she's made in the years since. Her name was placed in the rafters next to her late husband, Bob's, and alongside Legends Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt.
She is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
