Remembering Steve McNair
While citizens across the country celebrated Independence Day yesterday, it was also a time for friends, family and fans to reflect on the passing and life of former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair.
Derrick Mason, who played 10 total seasons with McNair in both locations, remembered his longtime teammate via Twitter on the second anniversary of his death.
“Prayers go out the the mcNair family today!” tweeted Mason. McNair is survived by his wife, Mechelle, and four sons.
In Baltimore, McNair will be most remembered for leading the Ravens to a franchise-best 13-3 record in 2006. He battled injuries the following year, and then the 14-year veteran retired in the 2008 offseason.
“He was a fun teammate,” Mason said at the time of McNair’s death via ESPN. “Hard worker. A guy that tried to get the most out of everybody on the team. Rarely do you get to play with an individual that has so much passion for the game and would sacrifice whatever he had to to make sure his team went out there and won a game.
“He was one of those rare individuals and for me it was an honor to play with him basically all my career.”
Prior to becoming teammates, linebacker Ray Lewis and McNair battled against each other in multiple contests, but the rivalry didn’t stop them from becoming allies off the field.
“The first day of my life meeting Steve McNair, even in competition, I became a friend,” Lewis said at McNair’s funeral. “A man that I fought against day in and day out, I figured out that it wasn’t about technique to beat him.
“No amount of film would beat this man. You had to be built of will, heart, sacrifice and dedication. That is what this man left his four kings,” Lewis said, referring to McNair’s four sons.
Perhaps one of McNair’s greatest football achievements, which includes an NFL co-MVP award in 2003, was leading an obscure 1999 Tennessee Titans team to a 13-3 season and the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.
McNair brought his team back from a 16-point deficit to tie the game against the St. Louis Rams, but ultimately lost when his infamous pass to Kevin Dyson literally came up one yard short of a touchdown to force overtime.
Still, some say it was one of the gutsiest Super Bowl performances ever, which is why it’s the perfect video to watch as we look back and remember Steve McNair.