Born on Feb. 14, 1973, in Mt. Olive, Miss., McNair played 13 NFL seasons. He made four Pro Bowls, led the Titans to within a yard of forcing overtime against St. Louis in the 2000 Super Bowl, and in 2003 shared league co-MVP honors with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
Just four months ago, a year after he retired, McNair was in Los Angeles shooting an episode of the Spike TV reality show "Pros vs. Joes," which pits retired professional athletes against everyday gym rats. McNair, easygoing and soft-spoken, showed up with a publicist who had a stack of "Air McNair" placards with her, ready for him to autograph.
"Just from talking to him, things seemed to be going pretty good for him," said fellow contestant Tim Brown, a retired Oakland Raiders receiver. "He was enjoying retirement to the fullest. From talking to him, I knew that he was married and all that. . . . I don't know anybody who would say anything bad about Steve, that's for sure. He seemed to be a very respectable guy."
By all accounts an outstanding and dedicated teammate, McNair did have some blemishes on his off-the-field record. In May 2003, he was arrested for drunk driving and for possession of a firearm. (Although he had a permit to carry the handgun, which was loaded, the license wasn't valid if he was impaired.) He was arrested for a DUI again in 2007 -- a charge that was later dropped -- when he was the passenger in his pickup truck, which was being driven by his brother-in-law. Under a Tennessee law, a vehicle owner is prohibited from letting it be driven by someone who is inebriated.
On Saturday, former teammates, coaches and friends around the league were shocked and heartbroken by the news of McNair's death.
"If you were going to draw a football player, the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional, he is your guy," said Baltimore cornerback Samari Rolle, who also played with him in Tennessee. "I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today."
Former Titans running back Eddie George recalled a routine he and McNair would go through before every game.
"The one thing that I do remember most about Steve was that we would both be together before every game inside the tunnel shaking everybody's hand, every player, every coach, every trainer, everybody that was a part of the Titans family," George said on ESPN. "And as we were going out and as we finished, we would stop and look at each other and say, 'I love you.' . . . His memories will always last forever. He was a warrior."
UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel, his quarterbacks coach for two seasons in Baltimore, said McNair had an especially close relationship with his four sons, speaking of them often.
"I know he was crazy about his kids," Neuheisel said. "We talked about our boys all the time. Talked about what we thought they could be and all that kind of stuff. . . . This was not a guy who was disappointed about sliding into retirement and didn't know what to do with himself. This was a guy that was still very much eager to live and to enjoy life."
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sam.farmer@latimes.com
