Steve McNair 1973-2009

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I was supposed to work my part time job of delivering pizzas this evening. I had a feeling it would not be a very busy night. After all, how many people have pizza on July 4th. Especially when it is a sunny day with temperatures in the 80's. So it was no surprise when I walked into work and was told that they did not think they would need me and that I could go home if I wanted to.

So I walked back to the car to head home in a pretty good mood. It is always more pleasurable to be at home with the family than to be working. My good mood was tempered when I heard the news that former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead in his apartment. McNair and a woman had been shot to death in a double homicide.

McNair played his college football at Alcorn State University where he earned the nickname "Air" McNair for his proficiency in executing the passing game. During his college career, McNair finished with over 16000 yards passing and averaged 400 yards passing per game. In his senior year, his combined rushing and passing yardage was nearly 6000 yards. He won the Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding offensive college football player and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

McNair's success at Alcorn State led to him being the third player selected in the 1995 NFL Draft by the then Houston Oilers. The Oilers later moved to Tennessee and became the Tennessee Titans. McNair led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance. He finished his career in 2007 after two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Among his accomplishments in the NFL was being named co-MVP of the league in 2003 and three Pro Bowl appearances.

McNair had begun to move on in his life after football having opened his first restaurant, Steve McNair's Gridiron9. The restaurant opened just two weeks ago on June 19 and was talking about opening more. Sadly, McNair's life is cut short at the young age of 36 years old. Let's hope that the police in Tennessee will quickly find the murderer.

UPDATE: It is now being reported that McNair was the victim of a murder/suicide. The woman also found dead in the apartment was 20 year old Sahel Kazemi. McNair was shot several times, and Kazemi died from a single gun shot to the head. A gun was found at the scene.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Former NFL QB Steve McNair Found Dead (bleacherreport.com)
• Ex-Quarterback Steve McNair Shot to Death (nytimes.com)