(SportsRadio 610) - Former Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes has died at age 56, his wife Melissa confirmed in a Facebook post Monday evening.
Rootes was hired in 2000 as the Texans began preparations for their expansion season in 2002. He was responsible for all of the team’s business functions, including stadium naming rights and sponsorships, ticket sales and coordinating radio and TV broadcasting relationships.
Rootes resigned from the Texans in 2021 to pursue other opportunities. He'd just been hired to join Rice University's sports management department.
While with the Texans, Rootes created Lone Star Sports and Entertainment and served as its president. The organization has coordinated the many events at NRG Stadium since that time, including the Texas Bowl, the Texas Kickoff and many international soccer events.
The news of Rootes' death came as a shock across the Houston sports world, especially here at SportsRadio 610, where our staff worked closely with Rootes over the years.