June Jones, Former Falcons Coach Who Ran the Run-and-Shoot, Dies at 73

June Jones, who coached the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons and later built the University of Hawaii into a national story, died Thursday at age 73, the Falcons announced. The Associated Press reported he died in Oregon. Friends told Honolulu's KHON 2 that Jones had entered hospice care after a spinal tumor diagnosis.

Jones first wore a Falcons uniform as a quarterback, appearing in 17 games across four seasons from 1977 to 1981. He returned to the team in 1991 as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under Jerry Glanville, where he installed the run-and-shoot system. The Falcons made him head coach in 1994.

His Atlanta tenure lasted three seasons, from 1994 through 1996, and ended with a 19-29 record, according to Falcons records. In the 1995 season, quarterback Jeff George threw in Jones's offense and Atlanta reached the postseason. Jones later served a brief stretch as interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

At Hawaii, Jones took over a program that had gone 0-12 the season before. Over nine seasons from 1999 to 2007, the university's athletics department said, he went 76-41 as head coach, won two conference titles and coached in six bowl games. The 2007 team went 12-0 in the regular season, took the Western Athletic Conference championship outright and played in the Sugar Bowl. Hawaii's current head coach, Timmy Chang, said in a statement released by the university that Jones "was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game."

SMU hired Jones in 2008. The school's athletics department said he took the Mustangs to four straight bowl games and ended a 25-year wait for a bowl appearance. The department released a statement Thursday saying, "SMU Athletics mourns the passing of former head football coach June Jones."

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called Jones "an exceptional human being" and "a motivator of young people." Green added, "He won big moments for us, and that put us into the spotlight." The Falcons' statement called Jones "a visionary in the passing game" and offered condolences to his family and friends.

The University of Hawai'i said memorial service details and arrangements to honor Jones will be announced in the coming days.