July 4th, 2009. The day where Lou Gehrig's speech was honored all over Major League Baseball. The day where the Williams sisters, Venus & Serena, made the grass courts of Wimbledon their personal playground. Importunely, it is also a day where a Titan of a man was lost.
Steve McNair, a 13 year NFL Quarterback, was found in downtown Nashville with a fatal gunshot wound. His presence on the field had now been trumped by the tragic loss off it.
The sports world lost a man who stared at tiny Alcorn State. Where he racked up over 16,000 yards in total offense. I watched some of those games in person since he would always fine a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Especially against my Alma Mata. I knew if my Jaguars were up by four with two minutes left in the game with "Air" McNair at QB for the Braves, we were not going to win that one. Sure enough he would scramble and find a Wide Receiver in the back of the end zone for the game winning score.
After a college, he went on to the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans where he would be named to three Pro Bowls and the leagues co MVP in 2003. During that time, he would take the franchise to its only Super Bowl appearance in 2000. That to me is one of the best football games every played. You have the Titans and the St. Louis Rams going back and forth. Every big play was answered with another big play. In the end, McNair and the Titans came up one yard short from a world championship. All of us who watched that day stood up and applauded afterwards. Finally a game that put the commercials on the backseat.
However, what will be missed most are his contributions to the communities he lived. From the time, he quote “FIRED” his mom after knowing that after he signed his first NFL contract she would not have to work another day he her life. To the time of his last football camp for some youngsters at the University of Southern Mississippi.
I do not know what personal matters he was going through but it shouldn’t have cost him his time on Earth.
One thing is for certain, God’s football team has another star on its roster.
Steve McNair, a 13 year NFL Quarterback, was found in downtown Nashville with a fatal gunshot wound. His presence on the field had now been trumped by the tragic loss off it.
The sports world lost a man who stared at tiny Alcorn State. Where he racked up over 16,000 yards in total offense. I watched some of those games in person since he would always fine a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Especially against my Alma Mata. I knew if my Jaguars were up by four with two minutes left in the game with "Air" McNair at QB for the Braves, we were not going to win that one. Sure enough he would scramble and find a Wide Receiver in the back of the end zone for the game winning score.
After a college, he went on to the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans where he would be named to three Pro Bowls and the leagues co MVP in 2003. During that time, he would take the franchise to its only Super Bowl appearance in 2000. That to me is one of the best football games every played. You have the Titans and the St. Louis Rams going back and forth. Every big play was answered with another big play. In the end, McNair and the Titans came up one yard short from a world championship. All of us who watched that day stood up and applauded afterwards. Finally a game that put the commercials on the backseat.
However, what will be missed most are his contributions to the communities he lived. From the time, he quote “FIRED” his mom after knowing that after he signed his first NFL contract she would not have to work another day he her life. To the time of his last football camp for some youngsters at the University of Southern Mississippi.
I do not know what personal matters he was going through but it shouldn’t have cost him his time on Earth.
One thing is for certain, God’s football team has another star on its roster.
1 comment:
Nicely written! -HUGE TITAN fan, C-line-
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