This Thursday, July 4th, is the 10-year anniversary of Steve McNair’s tragic passing in 2009. Thursday at 9 am CT, ESPN 102.5 The Game will have a special feature show, “Air McNair: The Story of a Titan”, honoring the life and legacy of the former Titans quarterback. The show will be hosted by Darren McFarland, Derrick Mason and Floyd Reese — all of whom had different perspectives in knowing McNair.
We recently caught up with former Titans wide receiver Chris Sanders, another former teammate of McNair’s. Sanders played with McNair from 1995 through 2001. He offered his perspective on McNair, both on and off the field, as well as his memory of July 4, 2009.
How would you define what Steve McNair’s legacy means to the Titans?
It means a lot. I watched him grow up as a man. I saw what he went through in his early years and then the rest of his career. I think he leaves a great legacy. A legacy of hard work. A legacy of grit. A legacy of not being denied. That’s what made him so special. We would play games where it looked like we were down and out, and all of a sudden here comes Steve McNair. He put on the Superman cape and came back to win us games.
I remember a game where we were playing the Dallas Cowboys and he had a broken finger. Everybody in the huddle is looking at him like, ‘Man, you need to call timeout.’ And he’d say, ‘No man, I’m good,’ just with that soft voice of his. So he gets back up there under center and pops it back in as he’s calling the cadence and then we score a touchdown on that play. That plays is an example of a quarterback that always had a grittiness to win.
A legendary highlight we always see of McNair is the final drive of the Super Bowl against St. Louis, where he breaks free from a sack and completes a pass to Kevin Dyson down field. What do you remember about that play?
It just shows you what his life and his career were all about. You have Kevin Carter draped all over his leg and he could easily have gone down, but he got the pass down field to Dyson. It just shows that he had the heart of a lion and he’s never going to quit. Even that play when we were in the huddle, he was tired. He was gassed. The next thing you know, he scrambles away from Kevin Carter, he finds Kevin Dyson down field to help take the drive closer to the end zone and give us a better chance to win the game. He never quit on a play. He always gave you 110 percent. And it just shows you that heart of a lion.
You mention the phrase “heart of a lion” with Steve. How many times did you go into a huddle and wonder ‘How is he doing this?’
That was every week. Seriously, because he wouldn’t practice during the week. He had an ankle, a sternum, all these injuries that made us wonder if he was going to play. There’s one game I’ll never forget. We were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2000. A couple weeks beforehand, he hurt his sternum playing Kansas City. We didn’t even know if he was going to come back from that. Neil O’Donnell came in for Steve. In the Pittsburgh game, Neil comes out of the game all bloodied up and Steve runs in, just nonchalant. It was 3rd and 11 and he hits me for a first down. Later in the drive he throws it to Erron Kinney and wins the game. You could never count him out and that’s one of the things I’ll always love about Steve McNair.
Steve had a knack for comebacks in the fourth quarter. Was there always a belief on the sideline that you guys would win, no matter the score, because Steve was your quarterback?
We always talk about what makes a good leader. What makes a good leader is he makes everyone around them better. When you have Steve McNair in the huddle, a guy like that diving over piles, his fingers are broken, he’s hurt, his ankle twisted the other way, but always found a way to win – you’re going to follow that guy. When we’d be in the huddle down by 13 points or down by 20, doesn’t matter. We knew that if we had Steve McNair in the huddle, we had a chance to win.
What was your experience like having McNair as a teammate?
He was a quiet guy. He didn’t talk all that much. The one thing I loved about Steve is that Steve was a practical joker. In the locker room he would hide your helmet, hide your shoes before the game because he was always trying to be funny. That’s one thing I really miss about Steve. Everyone saw the tough guy. Everyone saw the guy that would sleep before the games. But he had a sensitive side about himself. He cared about his teammates. He wasn’t selfish. He laid his body on the line. But one thing I loved about him was being a practical joker.
How unique was Steve’s pregame routine every Sunday?
It was hilarious man. Everybody was hyping themselves up, getting ready to warm up. You look on the other side of the locker room and there’s Steve McNair sleeping with a towel over his face. That was his pregame ritual. Everybody got ready a different way. The way he got ready was he would sleep. We’d have to tap him on the shoulder and tell him we had a game to play.
It was funny because there would be times we wake up just to make sure he’s okay. That’s exactly what he did every single game day. He would get his towel and go to sleep for 40 to 50 minutes, in his locker with his feet up. When we’d wake him up, he’d grab his helmet and shoes and say ‘It’s time to go win a ball game.’
It was recently announced that Steve McNair (9) and Eddie George (27) will be getting their numbers retired in September. How did they shape the Titans identity back then?
I played with Eddie George at The Ohio State University and got drafted with Steve McNair in 1995. The reason why they were the pillars of this team is how they grew into similar men, similar players, having to grow up through adversity. With Eddie, we were playing a game at Illinois when he fumbled three times and they were going to bench him – all of a sudden he wins the Heisman. Now you have Steve McNair, laying in the hospital with a broken sternum and he wants to end his career – all of a sudden he’s getting his jersey retired, with Eddie. They leave a legacy of never giving up. They were the two pillars of our team.
Did Steve ever tell you he wanted to end his career?
Yes. (After breaking his sternum against Kansas City in 2000) I called him while he was in the hospital and he couldn’t really talk because he was gasping for air. I called him and said ‘Hey man, just calling to tell you I love you’. He said ‘I think I’m going to hang up the cleats. I’m done.’ This was like a week after it happened. I just whispered back to him ‘Hey, just hang in there, you can do this.’ Now he’s getting his jersey retired. That’s what makes it special for me.
Where were you when you found out about Steve McNair’s passing?
I was barbecuing in the backyard. I had a whole bunch of family members with me. I got a call from a lady who worked at a TV station and she told me she thought Steve McNair got shot and would call me back. I just stopped in my tracks. I was grilling in the backyard and had my son take over. When I heard that it was official that he got shot and passed away, it was really a tough deal. It didn’t feel real at that time. I thought it had to be someone else. It was a shock to me because I never thought that could happen to Steve McNair.
When did it become real for you?
When I went to his funeral and saw his wife Mechele and sons in the front row, you were asking yourself if this was real. It felt like you were in a dream. When Derrick Mason got up to talk, man, that’s when I knew it was real.
What do you miss the most about him?
I miss his competitive nature. I remember someone asking me ‘What would you say to Steve if he were alive?’ I’d say I’m sorry. The reason why is I got to know the player but I didn’t get a chance to fully know the man off the field. That still kind of bothers me to this day. Maybe there could have been some things I could have said, or we could have said to each other, could have prevented this situation from happening. It bothers me because I focused more on being his teammate. If Steve McNair was here today I’d tell him that I’m sorry.
What would be the one word you would use to describe Steve to someone who never saw him play or didn’t know how much he meant to the Titans?
Relentless. This guy was a relentless player. He left everything on the line. He gave up his body not just for himself, not just to win the game, but for his teammates. He was unselfish in that way. He was relentless. He was caring. He was loving. He’d give you the shirt off his back. That’s what I’ll always remember about Steve. He was a relentless player.
