Steve McNair Through the Years

In honor of "Fall of a Titan"—SI's true crime narrative podcast about the life and death of Steve McNair—SI went back through the photos archives to find classic and candid glimpses from McNair's career.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair addresses his Alcorn State teammates in the locker room. In 2014, Alcorn State published a list of the 50 greatest football players in school history, with McNair coming in at No. 1.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair’s custom Mississippi license plate displays one of his nicknames, “Air II,” along with his Alcorn State jersey number, 9. Steve was also known as “Air McNair” throughout his college and professional career.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair with Alcorn State teammates on the sidelines of a game at Jackson State, a rivalry game known as the "Capital City Classic."

1994

John Chiasson

McNair strikes the Heisman pose on a pedestal during a Sports Illustrated photoshoot. The shoot accompanied SI’s 1994 cover touting McNair's Heisman campaign.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair lounges in his dorm room at Alcorn State below posters of athletes, including Emmitt Smith, Robert Pack, and Jeff Graham.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair removes his helmet during an Alcorn State football practice. McNair came off the bench in the first game of his freshman season, leading a comeback win over Grambling State, and was the Braves’ starting quarterback for the next four seasons, finishing his career with a record 16,823 total yards.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair throws a pass against the Chattanooga Moccasins on Sept. 10, 1994 at Chamberlain Field in Chattanooga, Tenn. Alcorn State won 54-28 behind 647 yards of offense (491 passing, 156 rushing) and eight touchdowns from McNair.

1994

John Chiasson

McNair poses with his family, including mother Lucille (front right) and brother Tim (back left) in Mount Olive, Miss.

1994

Al Tielemans

McNair on the cover of the Sept. 26, 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated. After breaking numerous records and winning the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA, McNair finished third in the 1994 Heisman voting.

1994

John Iacono

From left: Ki-Jana Carter, Kerry Collins, Rashaan Salaam, Steve McNair & Warren Sapp ride the Staten Island Ferry in 1994. Salaam, a Colorado running back, won the ’94 Heisman, while the other four finished in the top-six in voting. Led by No. 1 pick Carter, all five players were drafted in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft.

1995

AFP/Getty Images

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue (left), Steve McNair (center), and Steve's mother, Lucille McNair, pose for a picture during the 1995 NFL draft at Madison Square Garden. McNair was drafted third overall by the Houston Oilers, making him the highest-drafted African-American quarterback ever at the time.

1997

AP

McNair marries Mechelle Cartwright on June 21, 1997 in Vicksburg, Miss., in front of more than 1,500 people. They had two sons, Tyler and Trent. (Steve also had two older sons from prior relationships.)

1997

Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

McNair and the other AFC Central quarterbacks appear on the cover of the Sept. 1, 1997 issue of Sports Illustrated. The Jaguars and Steelers posted 11-5 records to tie atop the division and the Oilers, in their first season in Tennessee, went 8-8.

1998

Getty Images

McNair looks for a receiver during a Dec. 26, 1998 game against the Minnesota Vikings in Nashville. The Vikings won, 26-10, and the Oilers finished the season 8-8 for a third consecutive season. The following year, the team changed its name to Titans and went to the Super Bowl.

2000

McNair is chased by St. Louis Rams defensive linemen Kevin Carter (93) and Jay Williams (96) on the penultimate play of Super Bowl XXXIV. McNair escaped Carter’s grasp and threw a 16-yard pass to Kevin Dyson down to the Rams’ 10 yard-line, where the Titans called their final timeout. On the famous last play of the game, Dyson came up one yard short of a game-tying touchdown and the Rams held on, 23-16.

1999

Al Tielemans

McNair flips into the end zone for a rushing touchdown during a 16-10 victory over the Steelers on Nov. 21, 1999. Including playoffs, the Titans went 9-0 at home in the inaugural season at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

2006

Simon Bruty

McNair runs onto the field at M&T Bank Stadium. McNair played the final two seasons of his career for the Baltimore Ravens. He led the Ravens to a 13-3 record in 2006 but only started six games in '07 before retiring.