Steve McNair

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Steve LaTreal McNair (born February 14, 1973), nicknamed Air McNair, was an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Houston Oilers third overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alcorn State.

McNair has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times and was the Co-AP NFL MVP in 2003. On April 17, 2008, McNair announced his retirement to his teammates during a meeting but has yet to file his retirement paperwork with the league.^[1]

[edit] College career

McNair, is a native of Mount Olive, Mississippi and played collegiately for Alcorn State University, a historically black university which competes in the NCAA's Division I-AA Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Many major colleges recruited McNair to play defensive back, but Alcorn was one of the few institutions that recruited McNair to play quarterback. Steve followed the footsteps of his older brother, Fred McNair (who played at Alcorn 1986-1989) and chose to attend Alcorn State University.

In his senior season (1994), he amassed incredible statistics - throwing for 4,863 yards with 44 touchdowns and rushing for 936 yards. McNair was subsequently selected with the third pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. McNair was brought along slowly in the NFL by the Oilers, backing up or sharing time with quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Dave Krieg.

[edit] Professional career

McNair's 3,590 career rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns rank fifth and third respectively all-time among NFL quarterbacks. His 2,387 rushing yards from 1997-2001 also made him one of three quarterbacks in NFL history to rush for more than 2,350 yards in a five-season span. Michael Vick had 3,570 from 2002-2006; Randall Cunningham had 3,232 from 1986-1990.

[edit] Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans

The team relocated to its new stadium in Nashville (with McNair as the new starting quarterback), and was renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999. That year, McNair along with running back Eddie George led the team to an AFC championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV, where they where defeated by the St. Louis Rams. Since then, McNair has generally been recognized as one of the game's top players. McNair was named co-Most Valuable Player for the 2003 season along with Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.

McNair was widely respected among Titans fans for being able to play while hurt, having sustained many injuries throughout his career. Through 1997 to 2003, McNair missed only nine of the possible 112 regular-season starts, five of which were due to back surgery. But in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, however, he was increasingly forced to take time off due to injury, being replaced by backup Billy Volek. On November 28, 2004, after a loss to the Houston Texans, McNair hinted that he might retire following the 2004 campaign. After the troubling season of '04, the Titans fell to 5-11, then the worst record in franchise history since 1994. On December 17, 2004, it was announced that McNair would not play any more during the 2004 season and that he would undergo surgery on his injured sternum. McNair returned for the 2005 season with the Titans and played 14 games, but failed to generate a successful campaign with the NFL's youngest and most inexperienced team around him. Although missing a few regular-season starts, McNair never missed a postseason start.

[edit] Baltimore Ravens

Steve McNair was asked to work out some place other than Baptist Sports Park with the team during the Titans' offseason conditioning program, ostensibly for fear that an injury would make the team liable for the entire amount of his $5.00 salary cap hit for 2006, which would limit their ability to sign their 2006 draft picks.[1]

Then, on Sunday, April 30, 2006, the Titans allowed McNair and his agent, Bus Cook to speak with the Baltimore Ravens to try to work out a deal. On May 1st, 2006, the Baltimore Sun stated that the Baltimore Ravens might wait for McNair to be released by the Titans during free agency. Speculation was that the Titans might hold onto McNair until the week before training camp in late July if the Ravens didn't come up with a satisfactory trade offer for McNair according to a league source. It's been said that the Titans had less than $500,000 in cap room with McNair on their roster and would have been unable to sign their draft picks. That never happened. On June 7, 2006, The Titans and Ravens worked out a deal to send McNair to the Ravens for a 4th-round pick in the 2007 draft. On June 8, McNair flew to Baltimore, passed a physical, and was announced as the newest member of the Ravens.

Ravens' cornerback, Samari Rolle, who played with the Titans and McNair for seven seasons, stated to the Baltimore Sun that he will "warmly welcome" McNair. The Baltimore Sun quotes Rolle as stating: "In the players' minds, this would put us over the top." By the Ravens attempting to add McNair, Rolle said the franchise sends a message to the players. "I think it lets you know that everyone around here is serious about winning," he said. "The time is now for us. We've got a veteran-laden team and we're not getting any younger." He also predicts that the Ravens will receive a "reinvigorated McNair".

The 2006 NFL season ended with McNair starting each game, missing only portions of two games, one against the Carolina Panthers and one at home against the Cleveland Browns, respectively, leading Baltimore to a 13-3 record and an AFC North Championship. Steve McNair started at quarterback in his first playoff game as a Raven when his team played against the Indianapolis Colts on January 13, 2007. The Ravens lost 15-6 and McNair did not play particularly well, throwing two critical interceptions including one at the Colts 1-yard line.

In the Ravens' 2007 season opener, an injury required team trainers to remove McNair's pants and apply tape around his waist and groin. McNair did not Play the week two game against the New York Jets which the Ravens won 20-13. He also did not play the full game in Week #3 the Game was won 26-23. McNair missed 9 more games during the rest of the season, including getting pulled after taking many hits by Steelers' linebacker James Harrison in week 9, and fumbling the ball twice.

On April 17, 2008, McNair announced his retirement, after 13 seasons in the NFL.

[edit] Career statistics

* current as of January 5, 2008

[edit] Personal

McNair grew up with his mother and four brothers in the rural farming community of Mt. Olive, Mississippi.^[2] He married his wife Mechelle in 1997 and has four sons, and spends his time offseason in Nashville and Mt. Olive. He also grew up with his beloved cousin Andy Mcnair. ^[3]

He was arrested in Nashville on May 22, 2003 and charged with DUI. A gun (legally registered) was also found in the console of his SUV. The charges were dismissed a year later after a judge ruled that the officer did not have sufficient cause to pull McNair over.^[4]

On May 9, 2007 McNair was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving. Both the driver of the vehicle, who is his brother-in-law, and McNair were arrested for driving under the influence. Under Tennessee law, one can still be arrested for DUI even if you are a passenger in your own car and the driver is found to be under the influence. McNair owns the pick-up truck involved and was charged with DUI by consent.^[5] The Charges were dropped on July 10, 2007.^[6]

McNair's cousin, Brandon McDonald, is a cornerback and punt returner for the Cleveland Browns. The two played against each other on a professional level for the first time in the 2007 NFL season.^[7] McNair hosts an annual football camp for children at his alma mater Alcorn State and teaches kids sportsmanship, good role models, and football. He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Another little known fact about McNair is that he actually maintains his own garden in which he grows luscious fruits and vegetables that feed his entire family. One of Steve's favorite hobbies is wood carving or sculpting, where he often creates images of camels and polar bears. One of Steve's carvings sold for more than $200,000 to an undisclosed bidder on Ebay.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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Steve McNair

• ESPN.com: Steve McNair
• Pro-Football-Reference.com: Steve McNair
• McNair Traded to Ravens
• Steve McNair at NFL.com