The Houston Texans are hard at work looking for the second team president in franchise history after the departure of Jamey Rootes in February.
According to Mark Berman of Fox 26 [KRIV-TV], the Texans are looking at two internal candidates and three external candidates. The two internal candidates are chief marketing officer Jennifer Davenport and senior vice president, corporate development Greg Grissom.
Davenport has been with the team since December of 2010, and her job involves monitoring the usage of the team’s brand and all related advertising. Davenport, according to her biography on the team website, “also oversees all gameday entertainment, community development, the Houston Texans Foundation, youth football initiatives, targeted fan development, merchandise sales and regional brand growth, including broadcast partnerships.”
The most intriguing part of Davenport’s resume is she worked with the Houston Rockets from 2006-10 and part of her job was fan development. In other words, she has a comprehensive view of how Houston sports fans have to be feeling in 2021 with the Deshaun Watson saga and James Harden eating his way to Brooklyn. If the Astros don’t come out on fire in 2021, it will be a dark winter for Houston sports fans.
Where Grissom is a great candidate is he has been with the team since 2002 and has worked his way up through the organization when he was first part of the business operations staff. Much like Davenport, as the overseer of sales for the team’s suites at NRG Stadium, Grissom can measure the pulse of fan and sponsor interest in the team. Going back to being doormats in the AFC South won’t be acceptable after the team has come a game away from the AFC Championship Game four times in the past decade.
The Texans will have to find the right candidate to build upon the legacy Rootes laid down. Cal McNair will need to be diligent and choose the right president who can lead the Texans into a new era of pro football excellence in the city of Houston.