House Concurrent Resolution 1

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE AND WORKS OF STEVE "AIR" MCNAIR AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY UPON HIS PASSING.

WHEREAS, God blessed a young man of meager means from a small town in rural South Mississippi with an extraordinary talent so great that he rose to national acclaim and became one of the National Football League's finest quarterbacks; and

WHEREAS, according to his tender mercy, God has seen fit to move from our midst a beloved Mississippian, Steve LaTreal McNair, also known as "Air" McNair; and

WHEREAS, Steve McNair had a great love for young people, an unwavering drive to motivate children to become productive and tirelessly contributed to the community, and the passing of this young man caused great loss to his family, friends, many fans and a deep sadness to all of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, we pay respect to the memory of one whose life was full of love and who departed his earthly tabernacle on Saturday, July 4, 2009; and

WHEREAS, a native of Mount Olive, Mississippi, which has a population of 900, Steve McNair was born on Valentine's Day in 1973 to Lucille McNair and was reared in love along with his four brothers; and

WHEREAS, McNair attended Mount Olive High School as a freshman in the Fall of 1987 where he played football, baseball and basketball in addition to running track, and as a junior, he led Mount Olive to the state championship in football; and

WHEREAS, McNair also played free safety, and in 1990 alone, he intercepted 15 passes, raising his career total to 30, which tied the mark established by Terrell Buckley at Pascagoula High School; and

WHEREAS, as an All-State selection, McNair was named an All-American by Super Prep Magazine, and the Seattle Mariners drafted him in the 35th round of the 1991 MLB amateur draft; and

WHEREAS, after high school, McNair, who was highly recruited, chose to attend Alcorn State University, an historically black university, from 1991-1994, because the Braves gave him the opportunity to showcase his abilities as a quarterback; and

WHEREAS, while at Alcorn State University, which competes in the NCAA's Division I-AA (now known as the Football Championship Subdivision) Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), in 1992, McNair threw for 3,541 yards and 29 touchdowns, and ran in for 10 more scores; and

WHEREAS, the Braves fashioned a record of 7-4, including a last-second victory in their rematch with Grambling, and in that contest, McNair returned from an injury and helped Alcorn State, which was trailing late in the final period, move deep into Tigers' territory; and

WHEREAS, during that game, despite a leg injury, McNair tucked the ball under his arm and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown, and this victory over Grambling helped the Braves qualify for the I-AA playoffs; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, McNair helped Alcorn State to another good year, as the Braves upped their record to 8-3 while McNair threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, and was named First-Team All-SWAC for the third year in a row; and

WHEREAS, in his senior year at Alcorn, McNair gained nearly 6,000 yards rushing and passing, along with 53 touchdowns and surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American; and

WHEREAS, additionally, McNair won the Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter; and

WHEREAS, McNair set records for the Football Championship Series with 14,496 passing yards, as well as the division record for total offensive yards with 16,283 career yards, and this tremendous record still stands; and

WHEREAS, while at Alcorn, McNair became a member of the college fraternity Omega Psi Phi and highlighted his allegiance by tattooing "Omega Man" on his arm; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, McNair was drafted third overall by the NFL's Houston Oilers and became their regular starting quarterback in 1997 in their first season in Tennessee (though he started six games over the prior two seasons in Houston) and remained the starting quarterback for the Titans until 2005; and

WHEREAS, McNair led the Titans to the playoffs four times, and the Ravens once, played in Super Bowl XXXIV with the Titans, and was the Titans all-time leading passer, selected to the Pro Bowl three times and was All-Pro and co-MVP in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Steve McNair, while playing for the Oilers/Titans, almost single handedly built a tremendous fan base that covered the State of Tennessee and surrounding areas; and

WHEREAS, McNair finished his career with 174 passing touchdowns, throwing for 31,304 total yards and with a career quarterback rating of 82.8, and he rushed for 3,590 career yards and 37 touchdowns; and

WHEREAS, it could be said that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., described McNair's abilities and accomplishments best on the field when he said, "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."; and

WHEREAS, Steve "Air" McNair was a stupendous football player, who truly did his job well, a superb example of Dr. King's philosophy relating to doing the best job that one can; and

WHEREAS, although McNair is well-known for his athletic accomplishments on the field, he is also known for working hard off the field by building ties to the community through his youth and charity programs; and

WHEREAS, through the Steve McNair Foundation, McNair served underprivileged children through programs and grants focusing on inspiring and empowering today's youth to utilize the educational, civil and athletic opportunities made available to them; and

WHEREAS, through the foundation, when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, McNair immediately sent food and supplies to help his home state of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, McNair provided scholarships for boys participating in the Steve McNair Annual Football Camps in Tennessee and Mississippi, sponsored an annual turkey giveaway at Thanksgiving, and provided financial assistance to Boys and Girls Clubs in Mississippi and Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, due to McNair's giving back to the community with his time and resources through his foundation and financial contributions, he was selected for the prestigious Nashville Sports Council's Sports Person of the Year for 2001-2003; and

WHEREAS, when Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount he taught that we are blessed when our hearts are pure, and he went on to teach that the pure in heart shall see God, McNair demonstrated his pure love and commitment for the meek and poor in spirit by not only giving of his finances but he gave something more important--Steve gave of himself; and

WHEREAS, also, Paul wrote in the 13th Chapter of I Corinthians about the three spiritual gifts that would always abide: faith, hope and love. One may have the gift of prophecy, but the ability to prophesy will cease and where there is knowledge, in time, it will pass away; however, the greatest spiritual gift of the three is love which never fails and will always abide, and likewise the love that we have for Steve McNair will always endure; and

WHEREAS, throughout all of his endeavors, McNair was supported by his loving wife, Mechelle, and their four sons: Steve Jr., Steven, Tyler and Trenton; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to pay tribute to a great Mississippian such as Steve "Air" McNair, who selflessly devoted much of his life to the betterment of citizens of this state through his countless acts of philanthropy for the community and this great state as a whole:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we take pause to recognize the life and works of Steve "Air" McNair and express our deepest sympathy to his family during their time of great loss.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Steve "Air" McNair and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.