Remembering Air McNair

It’s a pretty rare day when I post about sports. I’m not a sports fanatic, but if you live in Nashville and you’re a native Middle Tennessean like me, you couldn’t help but get caught up in NFL fever when we snagged our very own franchise in the late 90s.

My big brother has always had Titans PSLs and we’ve been fortunate to go to many games. We’ve even introduced Miss C to the glory of a professional football game and a little fan smack talk. Back in 1998 when the Titans were still the transitional Tennessee Oilers and playing some of their first games at Vanderbilt Stadium I got a few fairly close-up pictures of quarterback Steve McNair.

We had taken the girls swimming yesterday afternoon when the news broke that McNair and a 20-year-old woman had been shot downtown. I had left my iPhone at home and the hubby was taking a rare day off from his business and had also left his Blackberry behind, but the news quickly spread around the pool and driving home we listened to sports talk radio broadcaster George Plaster interview former Titans players Frank Wycheck and Kevin Dyson about the death of their friend and former teammate. Although McNair ended his career with the Baltimore Ravens, he obviously still had roots in Nashville as he had a restaurant downtown and had a home here in Nashville. He was one of the key players that shaped the formative years of the Tennessee Titans.

The circumstances are tragic for everyone involved. Thanks for the memories Steve.