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Mac 9: The Iron Man – Steve “Air” McNair
Published: July 9, 2009
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Steve LaTreal McNair was born on February 14, 1973 in Mt. Olive Miss. McNair was slain in Nashville, Tenn. on Independence Day 2009. I was already in the beginning stages of writing a biographical article when hearing of the news of his brutal death. I likely will not be the first to post a story on the gritty NFL signal caller, but I would like to honor the man who became a hero of sorts to me in my youth. While I obviously didn’t personally know Steve off of the gridiron, every Tennessee Titan fan knew what he represented when he strapped on the armor and stepped on to the battlefield.
Steve grew up in Mt. Olive, and eventually became a star at the local high school. As a Junior, McNair led Mt. Olive to a state title as the starting quarterback and safety on the varsity football squad.
He intercepted 15 passes in the 1990 season, and was honored with an All-state selection, and later with an All-American selection by Super Prep magazine. McNair also excelled in baseball and after his senior season, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners (35th round) in the 1991 MLB amateur draft.
After finishing high school, McNair decided to attend little Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. At Alcorn State, his football career would reach heights beyond his wildest dreams. By his senior year, McNair had become a star at the Division I-AA establishment. He smashed records in his senior season by gaining nearly 6,000 yards of total offense. With his cannon arm and phenomenal scrambling ability McNair also added 53 total touchdowns. That’s over 300 points scored by one player in a single season.
McNair was garnished with numerous awards highlighted with an All-American selection,The Walter Payton award (I-AA player of the year), and a 3rd place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting (college football player of the year). McNair being named as a Heisman finalist is a feat that is exceptionally impressive coming from a I-AA school such as Alcorn State, his statistics were well warranted.
His collegiate success catapulted him onto the draft board of the Houston Oilers. In 1995, Houston used their first pick (3rd overall) in the NFL college draft on Steve McNair, and handed him the keys to the franchise with a seven year contract. McNair played sparingly behind starting quarterback Chris Chandler his first two seasons in the NFL.
In 1997, head coach Jeff Fisher and his staff gave him the nod and he went on to lead the Oilers to an even 8-8 record. McNair threw for over 2,600 yards and just 13 interceptions in his first season as the starter. He led the team in rushing touchdowns with eight scores on the ground. His 674 rushing yards were second to only starting tailback Eddie George, and they were the third most for a quarterback in NFL history.
In 1998, he began to feel a little more comfortable with the position of quarterback at the NFL level in his second season. His passing yards arose from 2,665 to over 3,200, and his interception total dropped from 13 in 97’ to 10 in 98’, he also threw 15 scores. McNair was finding personal success but the team still finished with an 8-8 record for a second consecutive season.
Despite being stuck in mediocrity things were looking up for the Houston Oilers. They had their franchise quarterback in place on a promising young roster that was being led by a young inspiring head coach. However, the franchise itself was going through a major transition. Oilers owner K.S. Bud Adams Junior was in the process of moving his team to the little city of Nashville Tennessee.
The NFL had not yet tapped into the mid-south region and the oil man struck a deal with the pro football hungry state. Adams got his wish when the city agreed to build a brand new, state of the art modern day coliseum in downtown Nashville. While the Tennessee Oilers waited for their new home to be constructed, they played their home games in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis in 1997, and Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville in 1998. Finally in 1999, with their own arena, and their own identity, Steve McNair and the new Tennessee Titans would embark on an incredible journey that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Early In 1999, McNair was caught in the first snag of his NFL career. He was injured with an inflamed disk in his back, which required surgery and sidelined him for five weeks of the regular season.
Luckily, McNair was backed up by veteran Neil O’Donnell who led the Titans to a 4-1 record while McNair recovered. When their leader returned, the Titans didn’t miss a beat winning seven of their last nine contests which was good enough for a 13-3 overall record and a second place finish to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC’s Central division. McNair and the Titans advanced to the 1999 playoffs and knocked off the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round in dramatic fashion. Does the Music City Miracle ring a bell?
For the divisional round they packed their bags to battle the Indianapolis Colts led by their young star quarterback Peyton Manning. After knocking off the Colts it was time to face the Jaguars.
It was their third meeting that year, the Titans were the only team to beat Jacksonville. McNair and his soldiers rolled over the Jaguars and Mac 9 tossed five touchdown passes. The Titans had their first conference title and were Super Bowl bound. In Super Bowl XXXIV they faced off against the St. Louis Rams whom they defeated in Tennessee in McNair’s first game back from injury.
With the clock ticking down in the NFL’s Championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, McNair used his uncanny ability to avoid the pass rush and break tackles to guide the Titans into St. Louis territory. Down by a score, Tennessee needed a touchdown, and with 6 seconds left on the final play of the game McNair connected with Kevin Dyson but came up one yard short of possibly sending the game into overtime. One yard short…
McNair would spend his remaining years in Tennessee trying to get his Titans back to the Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens sent the Titans home early after claiming the #1 overall seed in the playoffs after another 13-3 regular season in 2001. They reached the AFC Championship game in 2002, but surrendered over 40 points to the potent Oakland Raiders in the black hole.
In 2003, McNair earned co-league MVP honors with his rival, Peyton Manning. McNair produced a quarterback rating of 100.4, throwing 24 touchdowns. Unfortunately, McNair and the Titans would lose a close game in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual super bowl champions, the New England Patriots. In 2004, McNair was sidelined with a sternum injury throughout the season, and the Titans struggled without their leader. After a difficult season the 2005 Titans began re-building their roster letting go of key veterans to free up cap space.
As expected, they struggled once again, and at the end of a tumultuous season the Titans traded their beloved signal caller to Baltimore. McNair would finish out his career suiting up for his old rival the Ravens, finally retiring after 13 seasons in the NFL. He finally began accepting the fact that he physically could not play the position at a high level, or at least at the level that he wanted to.
Steve “Air” McNair was an iron man, and a student of the game. His numbers won’t get him into the Hall of Fame. However, his dedication and toughness will never be forgotten by anyone who knows what Steve McNair was all about. He is survived by his wife Mechelle and four sons: Steve Junior, Trenton, Steven and Tyler.
Steve McNair will forever be my all-time favorite quarterback and I hope people realize just how mentally and physically strong this guy really was. I know that I will never forget Mac 9, the legendary quarterback who made me proud to be a Tennessee Titan fan. Steve McNair played the game with his heart, and if he could walk, he was going to play on Sunday. I ask you to honor what he did on the field, and not to dwell on his sins off of it. Steve McNair defined what the Titans organization represents…leadership, power, and selflessness.
