Steve McNair, Alcorn State Superstar

Steve McNair is being remembered today as a quarterback who won an MVP award in the NFL and led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl. But when I heard the shocking news of his death on Saturday, my first thoughts were of McNair's senior season in college, when he landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated, turned tiny Alcorn State into must-see TV, and finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting.

McNair's phenomenal talent was obvious from a very young age. He starred on the basketball and track teams at Mount Olive High School in Mississippi, and he was good enough at baseball that the Seattle Mariners chose him in the 1991 MLB draft.

But it was the football field where McNair was truly brilliant -- on both sides of the ball. McNair accepted a scholarship to Division I-AA Alcorn State not because he couldn't play for a big-time school, but because the Division I-A schools that recruited him wanted him to play safety instead of quarterback. Some interpreted that as an insult, and maybe even as racist. But it could also be interpreted as a sign that Division I-A coaches recognized McNair as a player who could start on defense as a freshman: He was every bit as good a safety as he was a quarterback in high school -- he intercepted 15 passes his senior year -- and he could have played defensive back in the NFL.

It's a good thing McNair decided to go where he could play quarterback, though. McNair came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes and lead Alcorn State to a come-from-behind victory in the first game of his freshman year, and he quickly made it clear that he was one of the best passers in college football.

Early in his senior season, Sports Illustrated made S.L. Price's profile of McNair its cover story, and that's when the McNair legend really took off. ESPN2 (which at the time was an upstart channel desperate for programming) made the wise decision to broadcast several Alcorn State games, and those of us who watched them came away in awe of McNair's combination of raw athleticism and passing prowess.

His coach at Alcorn State, Cardell Jones, remembered McNair on Saturday as the best player he ever coached:

"He did a great job. He didn't let that change him one iota. He kept his feet on the ground," Jones said. "He was truly a team player and, because of that, all of the players really loved him. They knew he would sacrifice and do the type of things thing to make the team successful. ...

"Coaching Steve was definitely the highlight of my coaching career," said the 65-year-old Jones. "He's the type ballplayer who comes along once in lifetime."

After leaving Alcorn State, McNair was the third pick in the 1995 NFL draft, and he accomplished so much in the pros that it's easy to forget there was a time when he was just a kid from a small school hoping to prove himself. But as I think of Steve McNair today, that small-school kid is the man I'm remembering.