Portrait of Steve McNair

Birthday profile

Steve McNair

Steve McNair, American football player (died 2009)

Born
February 14, 1973
Died
July 4, 2009
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1973

About Steve McNair

Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009), was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Nicknamed "Air", he spent the majority of his career with the Tennessee Titans franchise. He was the first African American quarterback to win NFL MVP and one of only four to receive the award. McNair played college football for the Alcorn State Braves, winning the Walter Payton Award in 1994. He was selected third overall in the 1995 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers a year before their relocation to Tennessee and became the starter by his third season. In 1999, McNair led the newly rebranded Titans to their first playoff appearance and win since 1993 en route to the franchise's Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl XXXIV. McNair also led the Titans to a total of four postseason runs, two division titles, and two NFC Championship Game appearances. He was named MVP in 2003 alongside Peyton Manning after leading the league in passer rating, in addition to receiving three Pro Bowl selections and one second-team All-Pro honor. Following 11 seasons with the Titans franchise, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens in his last two years, helping the team clinch a division title in 2006. Two years after his retirement, McNair was shot and killed in 2009 by his mistress in a murder–suicide. He was posthumously inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020. McNair played college football for the Alcorn State Braves, with whom he won the 1994 Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA. McNair was the first African-American quarterback to win AP NFL MVP and remains, along with Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, only one of four to win the award. McNair also played for two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Steve McNair was born

Steve McNair was born in 1973. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1973

  • #1 song"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando & Dawn
  • Top movieThe Sting
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookGravity's Rainbow – Thomas Pynchon

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSecretariat wins the Triple Crown with a record Belmont Stakes
  • Top headlineOPEC oil embargo triggers global energy crisis
  • Technology milestoneFirst mobile phone call (Martin Cooper, Motorola)
  • Defining fadPlatform shoes
  • Notable inventionMobile phone (Motorola prototype)
  • World population3.93 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
  • Sports championOakland Athletics (World Series)
  • Also wonNew York Knicks (NBA)
  • U.S. population211.9M

1973 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Steve McNair's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19732026
Gas$0.39$3.45/gal
Average home$22,100$435,000
Average income$13,500$67,500
Minimum wage$1.60$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.77$11.95
Postage stamp$0.08$0.73
Population211.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, NFL, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.