The Houston Texans announced today that long-time president Jamey Rootes is leaving the organization to pursue his interests as a writer, public speaker, consultant and professor at the University of Houston.
The team will commence an immediate search for a new president. The search will include a diverse slate of candidates, including internal candidates from the business side.
"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," said Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair. "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."
"Jamey has been and always will be a member of our Texans family," said Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair. "When Bob first met Jamey, he knew immediately Jamey would be the one to help us build this franchise from the ground up. 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."
"The past two decades have been an amazing blessing for me and my family and I have the McNairs to thank for that," Rootes said. "It has been an honor to serve them in this capacity for as long as I have. I want to thank my teammates as we could not have had so many successes without their hard work and dedication to the team. I also want to thank the best fans in the National Football League, whom I call 'Texans Nation.' 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."
Throughout Rootes' tenure (2000-2021), he was responsible for all of the Texans' business functions. He oversaw the team's efforts to secure stadium-naming rights and sponsorship, coordinated radio and TV broadcasting relationships, engineered the club's successful ticket and suite sales campaigns, led the creation and launch of the team's identity and developed the team's highly-acclaimed customer service strategy. Under his leadership, the Texans have consistently been recognized as one of the most valuable professional sports franchises both in the NFL and globally.
In 2003, Rootes created Lone Star Sports and Entertainment (LSSE) and since that time has served as president. LSSE has been the catalyst for some of Houston's most significant sporting events, including collegiate events like the Texas Bowl and the Texas Kickoff annual college football games, as well as marquee soccer events like Copa América Centenario, Gold Cup, the Manchester Derby and the International Champions Cup match featuring Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Most recently, Rootes and LSSE launched "Texans Fit," which now has six fitness facility locations in the Houston area.
Rootes was selected twice by the Sports Business Journal as a member of its distinguished "Forty Under 40" list of leading sports executives, and in 2014 he was named a finalist for the Global Sports Executive of the Year by the Stadium Business Awards. Rootes was recognized in 2017 as the first-ever Houston Business Journal's Business Person of the Year after serving as chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership and deputy chairman of the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee. In 2019, he was selected as one of Houston Business Journal's Most Admired CEOs. Rootes was also recognized as the 2020 Steinberg/DeNicola NFL Humanitarian of the Year. In Rootes' recently released book, "The Winning Game Plan", he outlines a world-class approach to leading a business to exceptional and sustained success. The book became a best-seller on Amazon, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.
Rootes plans to maintain an active role in the community by serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Partnership and the United Way of Greater Houston. While with the Texans, he also oversaw the activities of the Houston Texans Foundation, which has donated more than $35 million since its inception in 2002.
