Texans founder, chairman and CEO Bob McNair released this statement on Friday morning:

*It is with great sadness that I report Texans Limited Partner Philip Burguières passed away last night. As most of you know, Philip worked tirelessly with me to bring an NFL franchise back to Houston in the late 1990's. He was instrumental to the success of the Texans, serving as Vice Chairman until 2012. Philip also was involved in the McNair Group investment activities.  He was a long-time friend of mine and a mentor to many and will be greatly missed. *

In 2013, McNair reflected on Burguières in this tribute that was featured in the Houston Texans Yearbook:

"I first met Philip in the 1970s. We were in the Young Presidents' Organization together in Houston, and I was a friend and observer of his when he was the CEO of Cameron Iron Works, Panhandle Eastern Corporation and Weatherford International. Philip was always impressive as being a very bright, young executive and very sincere, ethical, hardworking and unselfish. He first came to work for me as a vice chairman at Cogen Technologies when I was considering taking the company public in 1998.

*"When I purchased the franchise in '99, we had zero employees. The only other person that I had working with me on the project of putting together an organization was Steve Patterson, one of our former senior executives. We had to build an organization from scratch, and Philip served a very important role as vice chairman in selecting the people that were needed to run the front office and getting the business side staffed. *

"When I made the decision that I wanted to bring in some limited partners to give a broad representation of the city in the ownership group, I asked Philip to help me with that. He really led the effort and found people who were not just willing to invest in the Texans but were well-regarded in the community. As we started selling suites, Philip had extensive contacts in the oilfield service industry, and he was extremely helpful in introducing our sales people to prospects. He also participated in the negotiations for the naming rights for our stadium that we entered into with NRG.

"I paid $700 million for the team, and the only way we could justify that price was if we sold the naming rights for a lot of money and sold out the stadium in terms of suites and club seats and season tickets. It was critical that we succeed in that effort, or this could have been a losing proposition. So the financial success of the organization has contributed to the strength of the team on the field, and Philip contributed to that financial success in a significant way.

"Philip was a very talented corporate executive, so I could assign him various tasks on the business side and know that they would be handled in an entirely competent fashion. I always had complete confidence in him, and it's very reassuring to have someone like that with you. He also was a good mentor. He embraced the opportunity to mentor some of our younger people like Jamey Rootes early on, and I think Philip contributed to his growth and the growth of other executives in the organization.

"I can't thank Philip enough for what he has done for me and the way he has served the Texans in such an honorable, capable and instrumental way. Even though he's retired now from his original position with the organization, he remains a limited partner and will be able to continue to enjoy the success of the team on the football field. He's always going to be part of the Texans, and we're delighted that's the case."