I’ll be honest: It’s still difficult to put into words coherent thoughts and feelings towards the untimely passing of the Tennessee Titans’ beloved former signal-caller Steve McNair.
As Andrew alluded to in his most recent article, not only was #9 a heck of a quarterback, but he will also be remembered for his kind acts demonstrated by his commitment to humanitarian causes.
Last year, during my only experience meeting Steve McNair in person, I witnessed up close and personal both of the aforementioned qualities that made him such a beloved figure in the city of Nashville as well as in the circles of NFL fandom.
Last Halloween, I had the privilege of attending Steve McNair’s retirement celebration/charity benefit. The event was to serve a dual purpose: providing friends, family and fans with an opportunity to show their appreciation towards Steve’s triumphant career while also raising money for the various Nashville/Mississippi charities he supported.
Needless to say, it was a great night. It was an awesome experience to actually meet McNair as well as some of his former teammates such as Keith Bulluck and Eddie George. Rubbing elbows and standing shoulder-to-shoulder to Titan greats sure was better than trick-or-treating, to say the least.
As you can imagine, a lot of time at the event was devoted towards appreciating McNair’s stellar career. A video montage captured the highlights of his football career from his days playing high school ball all the way up to his NFL experiences.
What impressed me the most was that despite the event serving as a retirement party, McNair was mostly fixated upon raising money for his charities. He acknowledged his satisfaction derived from his NFL accomplishments, but his biggest priority seemed to be the pursuit of raising funds for his charitable causes.
Watching McNair on television and in person a time or two over the years, I was very familiar with his talents on the football field. However, even though I’ve read stories in the media regarding his humanitarian efforts, I had never personally witnessed McNair devoting his energy towards his charity organizations.
At his retirement party, it was a pleasure watching McNair put the same amount of intensity towards his charities as he did when he was eluding the grasps of defenders during his NFL playing days.
Sure, I’ll remember Steve McNair mostly for what he accomplished on the football field. However, as great as an experience that was, the sight of him speaking so fondly and passionately about his charities will be my lasting memory of a gridiron legend who passed away entirely too soon.
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