Remember This Titan: Steve McNair

This is a slideshow about Steve McNair's life: High school, college, his NFL days, and his ultimate demise.

If you have not heard, Steve McNair was shot to death at a condominium yesterday, Jul. 4, 2009.

America's 233rd birthday.

This is dedicated to Steve McNair and his surviving parties.

You will never be forgotten Steve.

High School Years

Steve "Air" McNair attended Mt. Olive High School in Mississippi. McNair played football, baseball, basketball, and track.

As a junior, he led the Pirates to the State Championship. McNair also played free-safety, intercepting 15 passes in 1990.

McNair received All-American honors by Super Prep magazine. McNair was selected in the 35th round of the MLB Amateur Draft.

College Years

McNair elected to attend Alcorn State University, home of the Braves.

In 1992, McNair threw for 3,541 yards and 29 touchdowns, and ran in for 10 more scores. The Braves fashioned a record of 7–4, including a last-second victory in their rematch with Grambling.

In that contest, McNair returned from an injury and helped Alcorn State, trailing late in the final period, moving deep into Tigers' territory.

Then, despite a leg injury, he tucked the ball under his arm and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown. The victory over Grambling helped the Braves qualify for the I-AA playoffs.

McNair helped Alcorn State to another good year in 1993, as the Braves upped their record to 8–3 while McNair threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

He was also named First-Team All-SWAC for the third year in a row.

In his senior season, McNair gained nearly 6,000 yards rushing and passing, along with 53 touchdowns. In the process, he surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American.

In addition, McNair won the Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter.

The 1995 NFL Draft

McNair was selected by the Houston Oilers as the third pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, behind Ki-Jana Carter and Tony Boselli.

McNair was one of the thirteen Pro-Bowlers selected in the first-round, having 36 in total.

The Oilers

McNair did not see his first action until the last two series of the fourth quarter in a November game versus the Cleveland Browns.

Late in the season, he also appeared briefly against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets. Meanwhile, starting quarterback Chris Chandler finished as the AFC's fourth-best passer.

In 1996, McNair remained a backup to Chandler until starting a game in December against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

McNair's first season as the Oilers' starter in 1997 resulted in an 8–8 record for the team, which played its home games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.

McNair's 2,665 passing yards were the most for the Oilers since Warren Moon in 1993, and his 13 interceptions were the fewest for a single season in franchise history.

He also led the team in rushing touchdowns with eight and ranked second behind running back Eddie George with 674 yards on the ground, the third-highest total for a quarterback in NFL history.

The Tennessee Titans

In 1998, McNair set career passing highs with 492 attempts, 289 completions, 3,228 yards, and 15 touchdowns for the Oilers, now competing in Nashville.

He also cut his interceptions to 10, helping his quarterback rating climb to 80.1.

The Oilers officially changed their name to Tennessee Titans for the 1999 season as they debuted a new stadium, the Coliseum.

Early in the 1999 season, McNair was diagnosed with an inflamed disk following Tennessee's 36–35 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and needed surgery.

In his stead entered Neil O'Donnell, a veteran who had guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl four years earlier.

During the next five games, O'Donnell led the Titans to a 4–1 record. McNair returned against the St. Louis Rams, and, with McNair starting, Tennessee won seven of its last nine games, good for a record of 13–3 and second place in the AFC Central.

The Music City Miracle—Jan. 8, 2000

On Jan. 8, 2000, the Titans and McNair played Rob Johnson and the Buffalo Bills.

The game, which was a Wildcard round, featured one of the most controversial plays in NFL History. The Titans, down 13-12, drove down the field with six minutes remaining.

The Titans drove into field-goal range and kicker Al Del Greco kicked a field goal with 1:48 remaining. The Bills received the kickoff and made one of the most famous drives in the franchise history.

The Bills drove down the field and Rob Johnson, Buffalo's quarterback, played with one shoe on as it fell of in the middle of the drive and he had no time to put it back on.

With 16 seconds remaining, Buffalo kicker Steve Christie made a 41-yard field goal to put Buffalo in the lead, 16-15.

What follows is one of the most controversial plays in NFL History. Rob Christie kicked off, and full-back Lorenzo Neal received. He immediately went over to tight-end Frank Wycheck to run what Special-Teams Coordinator Alan Lowry called "The Home-Run Throwback."

Wycheck threw the ball to Kevin Dyson, who then ran the ball into the end zone. As I said before, it was controversial.

When Wycheck threw the ball to Dyson, the ball appeared to go forward. The referees reviewed the play and upheld it

Amazingly, The Titans won the game 22-16.

The radio call of the play is by Mike Keith and Pat Ryan on the Tennessee Titans' radio network.

This is the transcript of the call:

Keith: "Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point?

If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson..."

Ryan: "He's got somethin'..."

Keith: "30, 40..."

Ryan: "He's got somethin'..."

Keith: "50, 40.."

Ryan: "He's got it! He's got it!"

Keith (voice volume increasing): "30, 20.."

Ryan: "He's got it!"

Keith: "10, 5, end zone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"

Ryan: "Frank Wycheck threw another pass."

Keith: "Three seconds remaining on the clock!"

But then a question of whether or not Wycheck's lateral to Dyson was actually a lateral arose.

Luckett reviewed the play, and once Luckett had decided that the call would stand, Keith said this:

Keith: "Here comes Luckett, with the call of the new millennium."

When he announced his ruling, Keith and Ryan had another exchange:

Luckett: "After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stands. It was a lateral..."

Keith: "We did it!"

Ryan: "Yes! Titans win!" (This drowned out Luckett saying, "Touchdown.")

Keith: "Three seconds to go, and Tennessee is on the verge of a miracle finish!"

Ryan: "Wow, what a game!"

Super Bowl XXXIV

This Super Bowl is widely regarded as one of the best ever.

The Rams battled it out with the Titans.

The Rams' high-powered offense, anchored by MVP winners Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk, with future Hall of Famers Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Orlando Pace, faced a stingy Titan defense.

The Titans' offense was anchored by McNair, Eddie George, and Kevin Dyson. The Super Bowl looked to be an offensive showing, but it was defense that overshadowed for the first half, with the Rams leading 9-0 entering the third quarter.

The Rams would then go up 16-0 before a furious Titan comeback. With the game tied 16-6, MVP Kurt Warner would throw a 73 yard pass to Isaac Bruce for a touchdown.

The Titans would then start one of the most famous drives in NFL History. With the ball at their own 10-Yard line with 1:54 remaining, the Titans drove down to the Rams 26-Yard line.

The following play, Steve McNair could not find a receiver, was then hit by two Rams' defenders, but he stayed on his feet.

McNair would then throw to an open Kevin Dyson. The Titans would then call their third and final time-out.

The end of the following play is simply referred to as "The Tackle."

Here are audio transcripts of numerous announcers:

ABC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels made the following call as the play happened:

"It is caught by Dyson.

Can he get in?

NO, HE CANNOT! Mike Jones made the tackle...and the Rams have won the Super Bowl!"

The St. Louis Rams radio announcer, Mike Bush, made the call as it happened:

"Back to throw is McNair. He's got Kevin Dyson. Reaches for the goal line. No! He falls at the one. Time runs out. That's it!"

Mike Bush, after seconds of St. Louis celebrating, said this:

"St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, is now the gateway to the BEST...football team in the world!"

The Tennessee Titans radio announcers, Mike Keith and Pat Ryan called on the play:

"McNair drops, throws, right side for Dyson. He dives for the end zone!"

"Didn't make it."

"He came up one yard short. The Rams win by a yard!"

Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports broadcaster Howard David, during the national radio broadcast of the game:

"Shotgun for McNair...takes the snap, looks to the right, throws...and it's complete the Titan at the one yard line and he's stopped short!

The clock strikes triple zero. Kevin Dyson caught the ball and Mike Jones made the tackle at the one yard line to preserve a win for the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV."

The Tennessee Titans

Following a 13–3 season in 2000 that ended in a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the 28-year-old McNair put together his most productive year as a pro.

McNair registered career passing highs in yards (3,350), completions (264), touchdowns (21), and quarterback rating (90.2).

He was also the team's most effective rusher, tying George for the club lead with five scores. Named to the Pro Bowl for the first time, McNair sat out of the game due to a shoulder injury.

After another playoff loss in 2002, McNair was arrested for DUI and illegal gun possession in May 2003.

His blood alcohol was above 0.10, and a 9-mm handgun had been sitting in the front of the car.

MVP Season

In December of the 2003 season, an injured calf and ankle kept McNair on the sidelines for two games.

Still, he finished with the best numbers of his career, including 24 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 100.4.

The Titans ended at 12–4, the same record as the Colts, but Indianapolis took the AFC South by virtue of its two victories over Tennessee.

McNair and Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning were named co-NFL MVPs following the season, which ended in a playoff loss to the New England Patriots for the Titans.

A Bad Year

McNair missed the 2004 season's fourth game with a bruised sternum, an injury suffered the previous week against Jacksonville, and played in only five more games that season.

Trade to the Ravens

Following the 2005 season, on Apr. 30, 2006, the Titans allowed McNair and his agent Bus Cook to speak with the Ravens to try to work out a deal.

On May 1, 2006, the Baltimore Sun reported 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.

However, on Jun. 7, 2006, the two teams worked out a deal to send McNair to the Ravens for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

On Jun. 8, McNair flew to Baltimore, passed a physical, and was announced as the newest member of the Ravens.

The 2006 season saw McNair start each game for the Ravens, missing only portions of two games, helping Baltimore to a 13–3 record and an AFC North Championship.

McNair started at quarterback in his first playoff game as a Raven when his team played against the Colts on Jan. 13, 2007.

The Ravens lost 15–6.

Controversy

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, which was 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 owned the pick-up truck involved and was charged with DUI by consent. The charges were dropped on Jul. 10, 2007.

Final Years

In 2007, McNair did not play in Week Two against the Jets, which the Ravens won 20–13.

He also did not play the full game in Week Three, however, the game was won by the Ravens, 26–23.

McNair missed nine more games during the rest of the season, including getting pulled after taking many hits from Steelers' linebacker James Harrison in Week Nine, and fumbling the ball twice.

After 13 seasons in the NFL, McNair announced his retirement in Apr. 2008.

His Death

On Jul. 4, 2009, McNair was shot dead in a condominium.

McNair was found with a young woman, who was also shot dead. While we were all celebrating, lighting fireworks, barbecuing, and talking with friends celebrating America's birthday, someone took away an honorable person who has inspired many kids, as well as adults.

As more and more reports come out, it seems as if the woman he was with killed McNair. McNair had many wounds, and the woman was found only with one, and the gun was found next to her.

It does not matter if he had an affair or not. I would rather have a father and only see him on weekends, holidays, and during the summer than not at all.

His kids will never be able to talk with his father about children of their own, girls.

They will not even be able to play a simple game of catch with Dad.

Rest in Peace, Steve.

Because we would all rather be where you are than where we are. I don't know how we can live in a world that we live in.

McNair was a loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife and four sons.