Bob McNair Robert C . " Bob " McNair ( born 1937 ) is an American businessman , philanthropist , and the owner the Houston Texans of the National Football League . Early life and education . McNair grew up in Forest City , a town of about 7 , 500 in the foothills of western North Carolina . He graduated from the University of South Carolina in Columbia , where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity . He graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree . His wife , Janice , attended nearby Columbia College . Professional career . The McNairs have been residents of Houston , Texas since 1960 . He founded the cogeneration company Cogen Technologies , which was sold in 1999 to Enron and CalPERS . Today , McNair retains ownership of power plants in New York and West Virginia . McNair now serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The McNair Group , a financial and real estate firm that is headquartered in Houston , Texas . He is also the owner of Palmetto Partners , Ltd . , a private investment company that manages the McNairs ' public and private equity investments , and is Chairman of The McNair Foundation . In June 2000 , McNair formed a biotechnology investment firm , Cogene Biotech Ventures , where he serves as company chairman . Houston Texans owner . Committed to bringing a National Football League team to the city of Houston , McNair formed Houston NFL Holdings in 1998 . On October 6 , 1999 , the NFL announced that the 32nd NFL franchise had been awarded to McNair . His Houston Texans debuted in 2002 , beating the Dallas Cowboys in the Texan ' s home field , Reliant Stadium . Public service and recognitions . Robert McNair is a member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame and is a current or past member of the Boards of Trustees of a number of institutions including Rice University , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston Grand Opera , the Museum of Fine Arts , the Center for the American Idea , and other Houston area organizations . On September 12 , 2007 , McNair gave $ 100 million to Baylor College of Medicine to recruit top scientists and physicians . He is a recipient of the Anti - Defamation League ' s Torch of Liberty Award . McNair is a primary backer of Sigma Chi ' s Horizons leadership institute . McNair donated over $ 1 million towards the completion of McNair Field , which hosts his hometown Forest City Owls , a collegiate summer wooden bat team in the Coastal Plain League . McNair threw out the first pitch in the stadium ' s opening night ( May 29 , 2008 ) , and the Owls beat the Gastonia Grizzlies , 4 – 2 , even turning a triple play in the 6th inning . In 1998 , the McNairs established the McNair Scholar Program at the University of South Carolina . In 1999 Robert McNair received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the university . Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation . In 1989 Robert McNair and his wife Janice established the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation . The goal of the foundation was to remove some of the financial barriers that were preventing Rutherford County High school graduates from attending college . The first beneficiaries were the class of 1990 . To date the McNair foundation has awarded approximately $ 2 . 6 million in financial aid .