Number 9 Forms in Clouds Above Nissan Stadium During Ceremony Honoring the Late Steve McNair

In life, there are certain moments in which multiple factors come together and create perfection. [...]

By John Newby

In life, there are certain moments in which multiple factors come together and create perfection. The hope is that these can be created, but it's often out of control and only happens unexpectedly. The Tennessee Titans and their fans learned this on Sunday during a special ceremony honoring former running back Eddie George and the late Steve McNair, two players who shined during their time with the team.

Sunday afternoon, the Titans held a ceremony to retire the jerseys for these two stars. This was a move to make the home opener special while simultaneously cementing their legacies with the teams. These factors came together to make a beautiful moment, but there was an outside factor that took it to another level.

As the Titans were retiring McNair's jersey at halftime, one of the clouds formed the number 9 in the sky. This goosebump-inducing incident was captured by fans and it immediately put a wild spin on the moment.

Prior to the event, there had only been six jerseys retired in the history of the team. Jim Norton (No.43), Elvin Bethea (No.65), Earl Campbell (No.34), Mike Munchak (No.63) Bruce Matthews (No.74) and Warren Moon (No.1) all headlined the list, but controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk believed that it was time to add George and McNair to the list.

"Steve and Eddie will be forever linked as two of the driving forces for our team in the late 90's and early 2000's," Strunk said when announcing the ceremony, per TitansOnline.com. "They were the heart and soul of the team and each made the other a better player and ultimately led to a great deal of team success. Their statistics will forever live in our record books, but their play and sacrifice is what our fans will always remember. For that and all that they have done for our team, the number 9 and 27 will be retired with the all-time franchise greats."

During their time together leading the Titans to success, (1996–2003), George and McNair led the team to an 80-48 record, which ranked third in the NFL behind only the Green Bay Packers' 88-40 record and the Denver Broncos' 83-45 mark.

This duo made four total playoff appearances (1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003), two division titles (2000 and 2002), two AFC Championship games (1999 and 2002). They also came within feet of defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

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