The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays.

I never get tired at the scent of slow-smoked ribs and chicken bathed in sweet-smelling barbecue sauce soaked in white bread with a side of baked beans and potato salad filling my nostrils. At night, we’d watch the fireworks.

The only Independence Day I wasn’t interested in eating any barbecue or hanging with family and friends occurred 10 years ago.

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was murdered on July 4, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Back then, I was a Sportswriter for The Biloxi Sun Herald.  The holiday was officially observed July 3 because the fourth fell on a Saturday. I worked the actually holiday because I had desk duties that day.

Twenty minutes into my work day, news across the Associated Press wire service broke that McNair was dead at the age of 36.  Shockwaves soared through my veins.

McNair and his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, 20, were found fatally shot in a condominium in downtown Nashville. McNair was married to Mechelle McNair with four children.

The Nashville Police Chief said Kazemi was rattled over the last week of her life because she believed McNair had another woman. Kazemi shot McNair and then shot herself. It was eventually ruled as a murder-homicide.

It was the most difficult column I ever had to write. It took me four hours to put the words together.

McNair and I were friends. The friendship began when I covered him playing at Alcorn State University from 1991-1994.

I also got to know his family: mother Lucille, older brother Fred McNair and younger brothers Tim McNair, Jason McNair and Michael McNair. They’re a wonderful, close-knit family who lived in a small Mississippi town called Mount Olive.

I travelled across the South to see “Air” McNair, including stops at Alabama State and Alabama A&M every other year.  I remember seeing the Selma sign on the drive down Interstate 65.

I didn’t judge McNair for his infidelity. We all make mistakes.

When I think of McNair, memories of the days at Alcorn pop inside my head whether it was in Jackson, Mississippi or Montgomery. I still believe McNair should’ve won the 1994 Heisman Trophy, but several voters allegedly dismissed his chances because he played for a small college team.

McNair, who played 13 NFL years with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, will his have number retired by the Titans on Sept. 15 at Bridgestone Stadium in Nashville.

A decade ago, it would’ve been difficult to write this column. Once I decided to look at the great moments, it became easier.