Steve McNair

High school

Mount Olive High School

College

Alcorn State University

Pro team(s)

Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

Steve LaTreal McNair was born on February 14, 1973, in Mount Olive, Mississippi (Covington County), the youngest of five sons raised by a single mother after his father died when McNair was seven years old. He attended Mount Olive High School and chose Alcorn State University over larger programs — a decision that proved no impediment to his professional career. The Houston Oilers selected him third overall in the 1995 NFL Draft, and after three seasons developing behind veterans, McNair became the full-time starter for the franchise that moved from Houston to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans. At his peak from 1999 to 2004, he was one of the most dangerous and courageous quarterbacks in professional football — a dual-threat player who combined the arm talent of a traditional pocket passer with the running ability of a genuine athletic threat, and the toughness of someone who would play through injuries that would have taken lesser men off the field entirely. He led the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams by a single yard on the final play — one of the most dramatic conclusions in Super Bowl history. In 2003, sharing the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award with Peyton Manning after an extraordinary season (24 touchdowns, 7 interceptions), he stood at the summit of the game. His career was cut short by accumulated physical wear, and he died tragically in July 2009 at age 36. He was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Born and raised in Mount Olive, Mississippi.