June Jones, the cutting-edge coach who brought the run-and-shoot offense to Hawaii and led the Rainbow Warriors to their greatest era and an undefeated regular season that catapulted them all the way to the Sugar Bowl, died on Thursday. He was 73.
Hawaii's football program in a statement did not list a cause of death for Jones, who coached the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons in the 1990s before his stint at Hawaii. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser cited
a close family friend as saying Jones had entered hospice two weeks ago in his native Oregon.
“Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game," said Timmy Chang, the current Hawaii coach who set the NCAA record for career passing yards (since broken) under Jones. "He believed in a young kid from Hawaii and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to run his offense.”
Hawaii was one of three schools where Jones played quarterback in college, but it was his decision to transfer to Portland State that shaped the rest of his football career.
He played under Mouse Davis, who is largely credited with bringing to the big-time an offense that featured four receivers who adjusted their routes on the fly, rarely ran the football and, most of all, moved fast.
It was dubbed the run-and-shoot. Jerry Glanville, Wayne Fontes, Jack Pardee and Kevin Gilbride were among the few willing to throw out convention and use it. Jones might have had the most success.
After spending time in the 1980s with the Falcons, mostly as the third-string quarterback, Jones worked his way through assistant coaching jobs, landing with Glanville (and QB Warren Moon) of the Houston Oilers in 1987. In 1991, Jones joined Glanville with the Falcons, then took over when Glanville got fired.
“A visionary in the passing game,” the Falcons called Jones in a statement Thursday.
Sticking with the run-and-shoot, Jones briefly thrived and took Atlanta to one playoff trip with the help of quarterback Jeff George. But the Falcons fired Jones after three years. Jones also had a brief stint as an interim with the San Diego Chargers, replacing Gilbride after he was let go.
Jones returned to Hawaii in 1999 after the Warriors had gone 0-12, and he produced a remarkable turnaround. Hawaii capped off a 9-4 season with a win in the Oahu Bowl.
His most memorable season, though, ended at the Sugar Bowl. It came in 2007, when Colt Brennan ran the offense well enough for a 12-0 regular-season record that got Hawaii into the Bowl Championship Series — the precursor to today's playoffs. In New Orleans, the Rainbow Warriors ran into Georgia and lost 41-10.
Over nine seasons in Honolulu. Jones became the winningest coach in Hawaii history at 76-41. His run-and-shoot dazzled at Aloha Stadium, but also provided entertainment deep into the night on Saturdays (and into Sunday morning) when Hawaii games started late on the East Coast.
Jones' success landed him a job on the mainland, at SMU, where he went 36-43 over six-plus years.
But even after he left, Jones a towering figure on the islands, remained among the most popular sports celebrities in a state where surfing, golf and even basketball often grabbed more headlines than football.
Gov. Josh Green called him “an exceptional human being.”
“He was a motivator of young people and he was a winner,” Green said. “He won big moments for us, and that put us into the spotlight.”
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