June Jones, Run-and-Shoot Pioneer Who Led Hawaii to a 12-0 Season, Dies at 73

June Jones, the coach who built Hawaii football into a national story with the run-and-shoot offense, died Thursday morning, Oct. 29, in Oregon. He was 73.

The University of Hawaiʻi confirmed his death. The football program did not give a cause. A close family friend told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Jones had entered hospice care in his native Oregon two weeks earlier.

The Hawaii turnaround

Jones took over Hawaii in 1999 after the Rainbow Warriors went 0-12. His first team went 9-4 and won the Oʻahu Bowl. The university calls it the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA football history at the time.

Over nine seasons he went 76-41, the most wins of any head coach in school history. He won two conference titles (1999 and 2007) and made six bowl appearances, going 4-2.

The peak was 2007. Hawaii went 12-0 in the regular season, won the Western Athletic Conference outright, and reached the Sugar Bowl, the school's first BCS bowl. Georgia beat the Warriors 41-10 in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2008.

Quarterback Colt Brennan was a Heisman finalist that year, the only one in school history. He threw 38 touchdowns in 2007 after throwing 58 in 2006, and he set the FBS career record for touchdown passes. Jones, Brennan and the 2007 team are all in the UH Circle of Honor.

Jones also coached Timmy Chang, who set the NCAA career passing yards record under him. Chang is now Hawaii's head coach.

"Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game," Chang said in a statement. "He put Hawaiʻi football on the map and showed us all what was possible."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, a former Rainbow Warriors player and assistant coach, recalled a comeback win over Washington in 2007. "We were down 21 points, not once but twice, and still came back to win," he said. "He leaves an incredible legacy here."

From Portland State to the NFL

Jones played quarterback at Hawaii, Portland State and Oregon. The Portland State stop, under Mouse Davis, shaped his career. Davis is credited with bringing the run-and-shoot to the big time: four receivers adjusting their routes on the fly, few running plays, and a fast pace.

Jones signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent and spent four seasons there, mostly as a backup to Steve Bartkowski. He started five NFL games and won one.

He moved into coaching and joined Jerry Glanville's staff with the Houston Oilers in 1987, working with quarterback Warren Moon. He followed Glanville to Atlanta in 1991 and replaced him as head coach in 1994.

The NFL record

The NFL years were uneven. Jones went 19-29 in three seasons with the Falcons, from 1994 to 1996. Atlanta finished 9-7 in 1995 and lost to Green Bay in the wild-card round.

He was fired after the 1996 season, a 3-13 year in which tension with quarterback Jeff George was a factor. NFL.com noted that the offense's speed put heavy strain on his defenses, a common problem for run-and-shoot coaches.

He sat out 1997. In 1998 he joined the San Diego Chargers as quarterbacks coach, then served as interim head coach for the final 10 games after Kevin Gilbride was fired. He then left for Hawaii.

SMU and the later years

Jones left Hawaii for SMU after the 2007 season and coached the Mustangs for six full seasons. SMU said he led them to their first bowl appearance in 25 years and then four consecutive bowl games.

His overall record there was 36-43. He stepped down two games into the 2014 season, citing personal issues. SMU finished that year 1-11.

He kept coaching after that. He worked high school football in Hawaii and coached in the CFL, the relaunched XFL and The Spring League. His last major coaching job came in 2023.

What comes next

The University of Hawaiʻi said information on memorial services and ways to honor Jones will be announced in the coming days. SMU said its thoughts were with his family, friends and the players and coaches he influenced.