Cal and Hannah McNair talk Texans' turnaround, new uniforms, and future in Houston with ABC13 Sports

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Take it from an NFL team's owner: marriage is similarly a team sport.

"She challenges me, OK," Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said as he looked at his wife, Hannah McNair, with a smile. "That's fair enough. We have an active debate. It's kind of ongoing."

The McNairs' dynamic was one of the big impressions they left on ABC13 sports director Greg Bailey when they sat down for an interview on Thursday. They gladly work as a team as they chart the course for the Texans' future.

"Of course, we're a team," Hannah McNair said. "I mean, we talk about a lot of things. As Cal said, (we) debate a lot of things. But the ultimate decision - we both come through, and we're happy with it. So I think it's a team effort."

That effort has led the Texans back from the dark days of three seasons that produced just 11 wins combined.

When ABC13 asked about the journey from "rock bottom," Hannah McNair laughed.

"How do you really feel about where we were?" Hannah McNair asked jokingly.

The McNairs wanted to share credit for the quick turnaround with head coach DeMeco Ryans, young quarterback C.J. Stroud, and general manager Nick Caserio.

"(We take it) one day at a time, trying to make good decisions," Cal McNair explained. "Some of them were hard, but stack 'em on one another and build this thing. And I think that's what you're seeing on the field."

One already-made decision involves the Texans' new uniform combination that will be revealed on April 23. As vice president of the Texans Foundation, Hannah McNair has been involved with that project from the beginning.

ABC13 Sports asked her what she wants Texans fans to see regarding the team's new look.

"I want them to see their input," she said. "You know, we did the surveys. We did fan councils to really try to drive what the fans wanted to see in the uniforms."

Cal McNair offered a few more specifics for fans hungry to see the new look.

"We have what we call a closet, so four different uniforms. Two we're required to wear, and two we can wear in three games. Some push the envelope a little bit and bring in some new colors, which I think we heard overwhelmingly that our fans wanted to see in the uniform," Cal McNair said.

He also told ABC13 that he's committed to the team's future at NRG Stadium, even as the rival Tennessee Titans secured more than $1 billion in funding for their new Nashville stadium.

"We have seven or eight years left on the lease and having active discussions with the county with the Rodeo as a partner to try to figure out how to move forward. I'll say failure is not an option. We're going to stay here. We're going to figure out how it works and we want a win for all of us," Cal McNair said.

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