On the last day of the NFL's summer meetings, representatives from Houston made their final presentation for a 2012 Super Bowl bid to league owners.
Texans CEO and founder Bob McNair and John Nau, chairman of Houston's Super Bowl, made a compelling case for the city; however, Indianapolis ultimately beat out Arizona and Houston for Super Bowl XLVI.
"I think John Nau, who was chairman of our effort, and the committee did an outstanding job," McNair said. "I don't think there's any doubt that their presentation was better than the other cities."
Indianapolis, which recently completed Lucas Oil Stadium, was heavily favored to win Tuesday's vote. The city increased its bid by more than $25 million this year and 95 percent of the new stadium was financed with public money.
The league has made it a priority to reward cities that build new stadiums. Last year, Indy lost Super Bowl XLV to Dallas by two votes. The Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington broke ground in 2005 and is scheduled to open before the 2009 NFL season
"I think what it boiled down to is there has been a tradition of the NFL awarding a Super Bowl to a city that has a new stadium, even if it's in a northern climate, if it's a covered stadium, and Indianapolis was in that position and I think some of the people felt like it would sort of be a slap in the face if they didn't do that, so that was the real issue that was involved," McNair said. "But our folks did a great job. I was proud of them. They made Houston look good, and everybody said it was a terrific presentation."
Houston, which hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, will bid next year on Super Bowl XLVII. In fact, McNair said the city will continue to bid until the game returns to Reliant Stadium.
"Well, to use a little direct wording, I guess, we're going to wear their (butts) out," McNair said with a smile on his face. "They're going to get tired of us."
Houston most likely will compete against Arizona and New Orleans for the 2013 bid.
Super Bowls hosted in warmer climates tend to draw higher revenues than cold-weather Super Bowls because fans are more inclined to spend vacation dollars during the week of activities. Indianapolis will be just the third cold-weather city to host a Super Bowl with Detroit (1982, 2006) and Minneapolis (1992) combining to host three Super Bowls.
The next four Super Bowls will take place in Tampa (2009), Miami (2010), Dallas (2011) and Indianapolis (2012).
