June Jones, who led Hawaii to a BCS bowl, dies at 73

June Jones, the quarterback who turned a small college program into a national powerhouse, has died at 73.

The University of Hawaii confirmed the death of the former coach and player. Jones was born in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 19, 1953. He played college football at Oregon, Hawaii, and Portland State before entering the pros. He played 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons from 1977 to 1981. In five starts, the team went 1-4. Jones finished his NFL playing career with 923 passing yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also played for the Toronto Argonauts in 1982.

Jones shifted his focus to coaching in 1987 as quarterbacks coach for the Houston Oilers. He returned to Atlanta in 1991 as the Falcons' offensive coordinator. In 1994, he became head coach. He compiled a 19-23 record over three seasons. The Falcons made one playoff appearance during his tenure. Jones was known for installing the run-and-shoot offense, a system that allowed receivers to adjust their routes on the fly based on defensive looks. He had learned the strategy from Mouse Davis at Portland State.

His most successful period came as head coach at Hawaii from 1999 to 2007. He posted a 76-41 record with the Rainbow Warriors. The team won two Western Athletic Conference titles. Jones earned three WAC Coach of the Year awards. In 2007, the No. 10-ranked team went 12-0 and advanced to the Sugar Bowl. They lost that game to Georgia. The 2007 season challenged the Bowl Championship Series rankings. After Hawaii, Jones coached at SMU from 2008 to 2014, going 26-43. His last role was offensive coordinator for the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.