Janice McNair, who founded Stonerside Stable with her husband Bob in 1984 before leaving the industry to launch the National Football League's Houston Texans, died July 14. She was 89.
Janice McNair's passing follows the 2018 death of her husband, who was 81. When the McNairs decided to concentrate on their NFL team, they sold their horses and farm to Darley in 2008.
As an owner, Stonerside won 14 grade 1 races, including five with Congaree, who twice placed in classics and earned more than $3.2 million. The stable also campaigned 1999 champion 2-year-old filly Chilukki. Both of those horses were trained by Racing Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Other notable runners included grade 1 winners Tout Charmant, Midshipman , Country Star, Bob and John, Tuzla, and Caffe Latte; as well as multiple graded winner and millionaire Cowboy Cal.
Stonerside also developed some families that continue to shape the breed. Today, Stonerside Farm near Paris, Ky., serves as a mare, foal, and yearling division for Godolphin. It has been the birthplace of many top Godolphin runners.
"Barn 3 is where we put the better mares and foals," Bobby Spalding, who managed the Stonerside property for the McNairs and later Darley for 22 years, said in 2018. "Both Enticed and It's Tricky were raised in that barn. It is also the same place and the same fields where Frosted was raised and Congaree, Raven's Pass, Bob and John … a lot of good horses. I could keep going."
READ: Enticed Carries Powerful Stonerside Legacy
Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair noted the impact his mother made. Janice McNair had continued in a role as senior chair of the Texans, and she is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
"Mom was exceptional. She exuded kindness, radiated joy, had an endless amount of hope and love, and lived an incredible life centered around faith, family, philanthropy and football," Cal McNair said in a release. "It's impossible to describe the profound gratitude that my sisters, Ruth and Melissa, and I feel for having her as our mom. Outside of our family, nothing mattered more to her than her beloved Texans. I remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston.
"Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community, and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization. While I'm heartbroken, I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate."
Since moving to Houston in 1960, Janice and Bob raised four children and embarked on a lifelong career of giving back to the community. The McNairs were generous philanthropists, making education and medical research the cornerstones of their charitable giving. In total, Bob and Janice contributed more than a half billion dollars to charity. Contributions were made through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation, and The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, N.C. Janice served as a director of each foundation.
In 2025, Janice McNair was inducted as the fourth member of the Texans Ring of Honor. She was honored at a halftime ceremony where she was lauded by Texans fans who showed their appreciation to her for bringing football back to Houston and the immeasurable impact she's made in the years since. Her name was placed in the rafters next to her late husband and alongside legends Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt.
The Houston Texans Foundation was created in 2002 at the inception of the franchise. It was born out of Janice and Bob's strong desire to do great things for Houston, especially Houston's youth. Since the Texans Foundation's inception in 2002, more than $51 million has been raised to inspire hope in H-Town. The Texans Foundation leverages the power of football to strengthen our community, support youth development, and break down barriers to fundamental resources.
Through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, Janice and Bob established McNair Scholars programs that recruit the best and brightest students and faculty to the University of South Carolina, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and Texas Children's Hospital.
Their contributions to academic medical research, including a transformational gift in 2007 to Baylor College of Medicine support medical scientists who are innovating treatments for disease. The McNair Campus was named in recognition of their generosity. In 2015, the McNairs established programs at universities across the country to empower students with an understanding of free enterprise systems and with the entrepreneurial skills to create new enterprises. The McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina serves as a model for entrepreneurism centers in higher education.
Janice McNair grew up in Orangeburg, S.C., was active in sports, choir, and student government, president of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils and governor of the South Carolina Girls' State. She graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, S.C., with a degree in education and later received an honorary doctorate from Columbia College. She was a breast cancer survivor.
Bob McNair founded energy company Cogen Technologies, which was sold to Enron in 1999 for $1.5 billion.
