Steve McNair
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Steve McNair (born February 14, 1973) is an American professional American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.
He is a native of Mississippi and played collegiately in that state for Alcorn State University, a historically black university which competes in the NCAA's Division I-AA. In his senior season he amassed incredible statistics, including over 4,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing; he finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which is unusual for a player from Division I-AA. He was subsequently selected with the third pick in the ensuing NFL draft by the then-Houston Oilers, who were in the process of relocating to Tennessee. McNair was brought along slowly in the NFL by the Oilers, backing up or sharing time with quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Dave Krieg.
When the team relocated to its new stadium in Nashville and was renamed the Titans in 1999, McNair, along with running back Eddie George, led the team to an AFC championship and an appearance in the Super Bowl, where they lost by only a yard to the St. Louis Rams. Since then, he has generally been recognized as one of the game's top players, and was named co-Most Valuable Player for the 2003 season along with Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.
McNair is widely respected among football fans for being able to play while hurt, having sustained many injuries throughout his career. In the 2003 and 2004 seasons, however, he was increasingly forced to take time off to heal, being replaced by adequate backup Billy Volek. On November 28, 2004, after a loss to the Houston Texans, McNair hinted that he might retire following the 2004 campaign. On December 17, 2004, it was announced that McNair would not play any more during the 2004-05 season and that he would undergo surgery on his injured sternum. His future playing status will be determined after time has elapsed after the surgery to allow for healing, however, the Titans' 2005 plans certainly include him, as no first-rank college quarterbacks were taken by them in the 2005, nor have any efforts been made to trade for a starting quaterback with another team. As his contract is currently structured, the Titans will owe McNair a $50,000,000 roster bonus if he is still on the team under the terms of his current contract on March 2, 2006, so it is almost certain that his contract will be reworked, he will retire, or will be released by the team prior to that date, for both economic and salary cap reasons.
External links
- NFL.com: Steve McNair (http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1069)