Yesterday was a sad day for the NFL world: former Titans quarterback Steve McNair was found dead from several gunshot wounds at age 36. A 20-year old girlfriend of his, Sahel Kazemi, was also shot dead in the head. The two bodies were lying on the sofa and floor of McNair’s condo in Nashville, where he had just opened his restaurant, “Gridiron9″. His wife, Mechelle McNair, had not heard from him in a few days. While the dramatic circumstance surrounding McNair’s death are still unclear, I leave it to the police and media to shed the light on this case. I would much rather write a few words about the player and the man he was.
Born and raised in Mississippi, McNair attended college at Alcorn State, where he quickly made a case for himself. Despite playing in a tiny Division I-AA college, his performance earned him All-American honors and the Walter Payton award as the best I-AA football player in the country, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. “Air McNair” was drafted third overall by the Houston Oilers in 1995, and became their starting quarterback in 1997. Under the coaching of Jeff Fisher, McNair stood up the pressure of his 1st round Draft status and improved the Oilers/Titans’ record every year, culminating in their first ever Super Bowl appearance in 1999, a feat not even Warren Moon was able to accomplish in his illustrious career.
Steve McNair, quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, during Super Bowl XXXIV
Against Kurt Warner’s Rams, what initially began as a defensive struggle turned into a formidable offensive battle between what will end up as two of the best quarterbacks of their time, whose winner would not be determined until the very last second of the game: St. Louis had just scored a touchdown to take on a 23-16 lead and the Titans got the ball back at their 10-yard line with 1:48 left in the game. In a career-defining drive, McNair accounted for 62 yards, including a critical 1st down completion to Kevin Dyson on 3rd and 5 with 22 seconds left on the clock, while being hit by Rams DEs Kevin Carter and Jay Williams. With only :06 left, the following completion from McNair gave 9 additional yards to the Titans… but that ended up 1 yard shy of the goal line as time expired, thus giving the win to the Rams. Many – including myself – consider Super Bowl XXXIV as one of the all-time best Super Bowl games, and its last play, known as “The Tackle”, remains in every football fans’ mind.
Beyond the loss, Steve McNair’s performance during the Super Bowl confirmed him as one the decade’s rising stars and, as NBC’s Tom Curran puts it, “paved the way for teams to build around black QBs. It probably isn’t a coincidence that, once it became clear McNair was the real deal, quarterbacks like Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Michael Vick and Vince Young were suddenly top five selections.” McNair kept on improving his game. He made the Pro Bowl in 2000, 2003 and 2005. In 2003, fighting injuries, he concluded a 14-game season with 3,215 yards, 24 TDs, 7 interceptions (100.4 QB rating) and a remarkable 7.1 yard per play average that earned him Co-MVP honors with Colts QB Peyton Manning. As he matured through the years, he also played through several injuries that diminished some of his athletic abilities, but never hurt his mental game, competitiveness or toughness, leading him to become more of a field general in his final years with the Baltimore Ravens.
While his career stats woud rank him among the 30 best quarterbacks of all time, already a huge accomplishment in itself, he should be best remembered for the type of player he was. Certainly one of the toughest quarterbacks to ever play, he was always respected by his peers and was often referred to as a true professional with a real passion for the game. Selfless on the field, he carried his generosity off the field, acting as a role model and getting involved in charitable activities for the youth in the Nashville community. McNair’s teammate and close friend Derrick Mason used to call him Smile and the “happiest and friendliest person I have known.“
Yesterday was a sad day, and not just for the NFL world. We lost a good man, but should always remember the Titan he was.
Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Derrick Mason, Heisman Trophy, Houston Oilers, Jeff Fisher, Kevin Dyson, Kurt Warner, MVP, Peyton Manning, Pro Bowl, St. Louis Rams, Steve McNair, Tennessee Oilers, Tennessee Titans
