After 13 seasons in the NFL, Steve McNair is hanging up his wristbands at the age of 35. McNair made the emotional announcement to his teammates on Thursday morning. The Baltimore Ravens QB started his career in 1995 with the Houston Oilers, but prior to that, he was the Heisman Trophy nominated quarterback for the SWAC's (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Alcorn State Braves.My alma mater, Southern University, is also a part of the SWAC conference as well as several other HBCUs (Grambling, Prairie View, Texas Southern, Alabama St., Mississippi Valley, etc.). I had the privilege of watching McNair play on a few occasions in a heated rivalry between Southern and Alcorn St, during my freshman, sophmore and junior years.
A few memorable moments come to mind concerning the McNair/Southern U battles. First, I remember the game where Steve had a pulled hamstring (actually, he always seemed to be injured but was so dangerous whenever he stepped on the field) and still scrambled and threw for more yards than probably our whole offence combined. There was also the time at Alcorn where I was on the sidelines when the team came out. I can still picture it. Steve McNair walked past me on the sidelines and he had the largest hands that I have seen to this day. At a mere 5'5", I felt like a giant had just passed me by. At that moment he seemed larger than life. His QB skills were already legendary at that point in his career, so to have him pass by me and when I noticed how his hand seemed to wrap completely around the football, I *almost* had a rockstar moment. It was like seeing Prince holding is guitar or Michael Jackson in his glitter glove.
Lastly, the thing that I remember most about the Alcorn vs. SU game at SU, was the prayer that was given at the start of the game. The minister was from Alcorn and started off with a standard invocation, praying for safety for the teams, no injuries and good sportsmanship, but somewhere in the middle his prayer focus was solely on the visiting team when he said, "...and Lord, don't forget about Alcorn..." WTH?! Is he really standing in the press box at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge asking God to choose our archrival Alcorn as the winner in our own stadium?! It was hilarious (at least to my boyfriend and I). That line became an ongoing joke for us for years.
Anyway, congrats on a great career. You have certainly made the SWAC proud! Thanks for a great rivalry.
Check out this video of the Top 10 McNair Moments.
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