Another N.F.L. Owner Is Gone in a Year That Has Diminished the Old Guard

Bob McNair, the Houston Texans owner, died on Friday. Richard Drew/Associated Press

Every professional sports league is filled with owners who are doers, those who are followers and some silent types who speak up only when they must. In a relatively short period, the N.F.L. has lost a collection of all three types of owners.

On Friday, the Houston Texans’ founding owner, Bob McNair, died at 81 after a long battle with cancer. He became the fifth owner this year to die or to sell a team, an unusual amount of turnover in a league known for its stability.

In October, the Seattle Seahawks owner, Paul G. Allen, died at 65 of complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A week before, Alex Spanos, who…