Former Falcons player, coach June Jones dies at 73

ShareAdd Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on GoogleATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Former Falcons quarterback and coach June Jones has died at 73, according to the University of Hawaii.Jones was born in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 19, 1953. He played college football at Oregon, Hawaii and Portland State. At Portland State, he played under Mouse Davis, the innovator of the run-and-shoot offense, which Jones himself would later make famous.He played 17 games at quarterback for the Falcons between 1977 and 1981, starting five games. The Falcons went 1-4 in his starts and Jones finished his career with 923 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions. He then played for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts in 1982 before beginning a coaching career.Atlanta Falcons head coach June Jones watches the clock while standing on the sidelines with quarterback Jeff George (1) during the game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Nov. 19, 1995.(JOHN BAZEMORE | ASSOCIATED PRESS)Jones began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Hawaii before joining the NFL ranks in 1987 as the quarterbacks coach of the Houston Oilers. He joined the Falcons in 1991 as the offensive coordinator before being named head coach in 1994.Jones went 19-23 in three seasons at the helm in Atlanta, making one playoff appearance.He used the run-and-shoot offense, in which receivers adjusted on the fly in response to defensive formations, throughout his career.The legendary coach was most notable for his tenure as Hawaii’s head coach between 1999 and 2007. He used the run-and-shoot offense to great success, racking up a 76–41 record as the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach, two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships and three WAC Coach of the Year awards.He was the head coach of the 2007 Hawaii team that busted the BCS and ranked as high as No. 10, going 12-0 behind quarterback Colt Brennan and making the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Georgia.Jones then moved to SMU between 2008 and 2014, going 26-43. His final coaching stop was as the offensive coordinator of the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Former Falcons quarterback and coach June Jones has died at 73, according to the University of Hawaii.Jones was born in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 19, 1953. He played college football at Oregon, Hawaii and Portland State. At Portland State, he played under Mouse Davis, the innovator of the run-and-shoot offense, which Jones himself would later make famous.He played 17 games at quarterback for the Falcons between 1977 and 1981, starting five games. The Falcons went 1-4 in his starts and Jones finished his career with 923 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions. He then played for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts in 1982 before beginning a coaching career.Atlanta Falcons head coach June Jones watches the clock while standing on the sidelines with quarterback Jeff George (1) during the game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Nov. 19, 1995.(JOHN BAZEMORE | ASSOCIATED PRESS)Jones began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Hawaii before joining the NFL ranks in 1987 as the quarterbacks coach of the Houston Oilers. He joined the Falcons in 1991 as the offensive coordinator before being named head coach in 1994.Jones went 19-23 in three seasons at the helm in Atlanta, making one playoff appearance.He used the run-and-shoot offense, in which receivers adjusted on the fly in response to defensive formations, throughout his career.The legendary coach was most notable for his tenure as Hawaii’s head coach between 1999 and 2007. He used the run-and-shoot offense to great success, racking up a 76–41 record as the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach, two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships and three WAC Coach of the Year awards.He was the head coach of the 2007 Hawaii team that busted the BCS and ranked as high as No. 10, going 12-0 behind quarterback Colt Brennan and making the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Georgia.Jones then moved to SMU between 2008 and 2014, going 26-43. His final coaching stop was as the offensive coordinator of the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.