Tag: Jamey Rootes

Texans to hold moment of silence for former team president Jamey Rootes against the 49ers

The Houston Texans will hold a moment of silence for former team president Jamey Rootes before their preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Houston Texans will hold a moment of silence for former team president Jamey Rootes Thursday night in the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium.

Rootes, who was the franchise’s first team president until Feb. 2021, passed away at the age of 56.

In addition to the moment of silence, the Houston Texans Foundation has partnered with Rootes’ family to establish the Jamey Rootes Leadership Scholarship Fund. The fund will help honor his legacy of supporting and shaping leaders, according to a team release.

The fund will provide scholarships to high school and college students who exemplify leadership qualities to further their education. Donations can be made online at www.HoustonTexans.com/JRLeadershipFund.

Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair will match the first $50,000 contributed to the fund in memory of Rootes and his leadership and contributions to the Texans.

“A 20-year-old friendship, Jamey led the Houston Texans business department at a very high level for two decades,” chairman and CEO Cal McNair told reporters on Aug. 23. “He was also really involved with Houston and giving back, and one of his favorites was United Way. He’ll be missed by his Texans family, he’ll be missed by the Houston community and our sincere condolences go to his family, his wife Melissa and kids, as we all work through a difficult time.”

Former Texans president Jamey Rootes passes away at age 56

Former Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes passed away at the age of 56.

Former Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes passed away at the age of 56 Monday night.

Rootes was the first president of the franchise and retired in February 2021. Rootes was responsible for the business operation of the Texans and worked closely with founder Bob McNair.

The Texans released a statement following the passing of Rootes.

“We are heartbroken to learn that former Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes has passed away,” a statement from the McNair family read. “For two decades, Jamey led our business operations with an unwavering commitment to Houston and the Houston Texans. We are grateful for his steadfast leadership and immeasurable contributions to our team. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Jamey’s wife, Melissa, and their two children during this extremely difficult time.”

According to John McClain, Rootes got his start with the Texans based on a recommendation from former Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.

 

According to ABC 13 [KTRK-TV], Rootes’ wife, Melissa Wildgen Rootes said her husband passed away on Sunday after “a battle with mental health issues.”

“Jamey was best known for his devotion to his family and friends but was also former President of Houston Texans, retiring in 2021,” Rootes wrote. “Our family is requesting privacy and will not be responding to media inquiries. The details of a celebration of Jamey’s life will be announced at a later date. If you or a loved are thinking about suicide, or experiencing a health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline right now at 1-800-273-8255.”

After leaving the Texans, Rootes got back into pro soccer by joining the Houston Dynamo. Rootes also taught at Sam Houston State and joined the faculty at Rice a week prior to his death.

Former Texans president Jamey Rootes takes job as new Houston Dynamo CEO

Former Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes has taken a job as the new CEO for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash, going back to soccer.

Jamey Rootes was riding off into the sunset in 2021.

He had the new book and he was going to stay active serving the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Partnership and the United Way of Greater Houston. Rootes was also going to teach undergraduates at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, a job he had already taken in January.

Sports appeared to be behind the man who had been with the Texans since 2000. Rootes was in his reflection and instruction phase after accomplishing so much sports wise in Clutch City.

Not so fast.

According to Vanessa Richardson of KPRC-TV in Houston, the former Texans president is going back to his roots and joining the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash as their new chief executive officer.

Before Rootes took the job to help Bob McNair bring the NFL back to Houston, he was the president and general manager of the Columbus Crew, also of Major League Soccer.

That Rootes took a job within the same city and is back in pro sports opens the question as to whether the Texans burned out one of their longest-tenured employees who was instrumental in building a winner over a 20-year arch.

The consolation for the Texans is that the new president, Greg Grissom, is a front office boss that learned plenty from the first ever Texans president.

“I got the opportunity to work for Jamey for almost 20 years,” Grissom told reporters on May 10 at the team’s charity golf classic. “What did I learn? I think it’s countless, too much to even ever really measure. He just taught me about doing the right thing, treating people the right way and investing back in our team and our teammates that work with us every day and then obviously our community as a whole.

“Jamey was a phenomenal mentor to me. I can’t thank him enough for the opportunities that he has helped me grow into. Very thankful for him.”

Houston sports benefits from keeping one of their more successful front office executives in the fold in Rootes. The Texans are hopeful one of his understudies can continue to build upon the foundation Rootes laid.

What is next for Texans with president Jamey Rootes resigning?

With Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes resigning, where does the club go from here?

Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes will be resigning from the team in the coming weeks, which leaves another void in leadership the club will have to fill after addressing the general manager and coaching vacancies in January.

Chairman and CEO Cal McNair is confident they will be able to build upon the rudiments of success Rootes laid in his tenure with the club from 2000-21 — essentially the entire existence of the franchise.

“We will now build upon this foundation and move forward with a bold and unwavering commitment to winning championships, creating memorable experiences for our fans, and doing great things for Houston,” McNair said.

According to a statement from the Texans, the club will start a search for a new president immediately, and it will include, “a diverse slate of candidates,” that will also include internal candidates from the business side of the Texans.

Jamey Rootes says it was an ‘honor to serve’ the Texans, McNair family

Outgoing Houston Texans team president Jamey Rootes expressed his gratitude for being able to work for the team and the McNair family.

Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes will be leaving the organization in the coming weeks, and the team’s top executive, who has been with the team since 2000, publicly expressed his gratitude to the franchise and the McNair family.

In a statement from the outgoing president, Rootes mentioned how much of a blessing it was to work for the McNairs.

“It has been an honor to serve them in this capacity for as long as I have,” Rootes said. “I want to thank my teammates as we could not have had so many successes without their hard work and dedication to the team.”

Rootes also thanked Texans fans for being, “best fans in the National Football League.”

Said Rootes: “Your passionate support created a tremendous homefield advantage, established the best tailgating experience in the NFL and sold out every home game. I will always be a proud Texan and I look forward to continuing to support our team.”

Rootes will be pursuing his interests as a writer, public speaker, consultant, and professor at the University of Houston.

“We sincerely appreciate Jamey’s multiple contributions to the Texans franchise over his tenure and look forward to seeing him succeed in his new ventures,” Texan chairman and CEO Cal McNair said.

According to co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair, late founder Bob McNair was impressed with Rootes from the outset.

“When Bob first met Jamey, he knew immediately Jamey would be the one to help us build this franchise from the ground up,” said McNair. “I am so thankful for Jamey, Melissa and the entire Rootes family for their constant dedication to the team since its inception. He’s had a great influence on this organization and we wish him continued success in the future. We respect Jamey’s decision to pursue other opportunities.”

Rootes wrote about his approach to leading a business to sustained success in “The Winning Game Plan,” which was released in late 2020 and became a best-seller on Amazon, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

Texans president Jamey Rootes resigning from the team

The Houston Texans will undergo another change at the top as team president Jamey Rootes has officially resigned.

The Houston Texans continue to see more changes at the top of their management structure.

According to multiple reports, team president Jamey Rootes is resigning from the team.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Texans will search for a new team president, and that, “the organization moves forward with a new leadership structure.”

Rootes had been rumored to leave the Texans for a few weeks, but the rumor has now become reality for a team that has seen a bevy of changes over the last two years.

The Clemson alumnus had been president of the Texans since its 2002 inception.

In April 16, 2020, meeting with the Houston media, then-coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said that Rootes “ran the business side” of the Texans while he and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby ran the football side.

Prior to coming to the Texans, Rootes had been the general manager of the Columbus Crew for Major League Soccer.

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Is Texans president Jamey Rootes about to leave the franchise?

There are reports that team president Jamey Rootes won’t be returning to the Houston Texans for his 21st season.

The Houston Texans could be on the verge of another shakeup in their front office.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, there is speculation that team president Jamey Rootes will not be back for his 21st season with the franchise.

Rootes has been the team’s only president since the 2002 season, and has been a key part in helping the Texans consistently rank as one of the top-10 most valuable NFL franchises.

The speculation on McClain’s part is corroborated by a recent Sports Illustrated report from Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop.

In the season’s final weeks, [Jack] Easterby’s relationships with the business side of the Texans’ operations also frayed. One person was surprised to see him sidling up to Rootes, the team president, at one of the later home games, despite a relationship that many of the same sources considered frosty. “There’s something going on with Jack and Jamey,” the person who saw them told a coworker. After the season, multiple sources heard that Rootes was considering resigning. That he did not, those same sources said, spoke to his desire to fight for an organization he had helped lead for two decades. (Rootes did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

If there is any change with the Texans, or there is any negative outcome to be had, scrutiny immediately falls upon Easterby, the executive vice president of football operations. If Rootes leaves the Texans, Houston sports fans will be wondering if he is another casualty in one of Easterby’s power plays inside the organization.

Independent of Easterby, the departure of Rootes would be another significant shakeup to an organization that has undergone significant front office and coaching changes since founder Bob McNair’s death in November of 2018, and it will be another challenge chairman and CEO Cal McNair will have to expertly handle to set the Texans up for success in the 2020s.

Texans president Jamey Rootes: Jack Easterby will not be the next general manager

According to Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes, Jack Easterby will not become the new general manager.

Some Houston sports fans ought to be able to breathe a sigh of relief: Jack Easterby will not be the Texans’ new general manager.

So says team president Jamey Rootes, who was on a Zoom call with season ticket holders Wednesday to promote his new book, “The Winning Game Plan: A Prove Leadership Playbook for Continued Business Success”.

A season ticket holder asked a pointed question immediately during the Q-&-A session to ask for Rootes’ comments on New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick stating Easterby was not a personnel guy.

“You’re right,” Rootes said via the Houston Chronicle. “Jack would be the first person to tell you he’s not a personnel guy. Jack will not be the general manager of the Houston Texans. Jack realizes we need personnel expertise to put together the best football team. He doesn’t have enough time in the day. He’s working on sports science, working on nutrition. Spread the word. Jack has no intentions of being the general manager.”

While NFL fans prefer to have general managers who were once personnel guys, it isn’t a prerequisite to success. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm had a background in television, and Ernie Accorsi, who later became the general manager for the Baltimore Colts (1982-83), Cleveland Browns (1985-92), and New York Giants (1998-2006), got his start in the NFL as the public relations director of the Colts from 1970-74.

Given the state of Houston’s NFL team, with the dearth of premium draft picks, dwindling salary cap space, and holes to be filled, along with a coaching vacancy, the Texans could use more than a character coach or any other unconventional general manager in 2021. The Texans have lacked stability since the firing of Brian Gaine as general manager in June 2019 and need to find a way to get back to having a steadiness in the front office.

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NRG Park, home of the Houston Texans, named 2020 November election headquarters

NRG Park, the home of the Houston Texans, will be the election headquarters for the Harris County Clerk’s Office for the 2020 presidential election.

NRG Park has been designated as the election headquarters for the Harris County Clerk’s Office for the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

NRG Arena will also serve as an early voting and Election Day location.

The Houston Texans are teaming up with NRG Park and the Harris County Clerk’s Office with the launch of their “We Are Texans, We Are Voters” initiative, which will encourage fans and the Houston community to take part in their civic duty and participate in the election process.

“Our constitutional right to vote provides all of us with a voice in our government and we encourage all Texans to be heard by participating in elections,” Texans president Jamey Rootes said in a statement. “We are proud to be working with Harris County to help make voting accessible to all in our region by opening NRG Arena as a polling location. This is one part of our multifaceted voting initiative that we know will make a positive impact within our community.”

  • Early, in-person voting will be held Oct. 13-30 in Hall D at NRG Arena.
  • Drive-thru early voting will be held Oct. 13-30 in NRG Park’s Blue Lot 16.
  • Entry for all voting will be Gate 8 off of Kirby Drive.
  • In-person Election Day voting will be held Nov. 3 at NRG Arena.
  • Election Day drive-thru voting will be in NRG Park’s Blue Lot 16, though parking and entry gates are subject to change.

“We are proud to provide this facility for Harris County voters to participate in one of the most important rights and responsibilities that we as citizens have,” Executive Director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation Ryan Walsh said in a statement. “We’re honored to do our part in giving our community every opportunity to vote during this unprecedented election year.”

NRG Park will adhere to all Centers for Disease Control and public health guidelines regarding social distancing and face coverings. NRG Park says they are pledged, “to maintain the highest standards of public safety and health for the community as proud participants of Houston Clean and ASM Global’s Venue Shield.”

More information can be found at nrgpark.com.