June Jones, former Hawai’i and Atlanta Falcons head coach, dead at 73
Former Hawai‘i and Atlanta Falcons head coach June Jones has died aged 73, the University of Hawai‘i confirmed. He led Hawai‘i’s football revival and helped take the programme to its first major national bowl game, leaving a lasting mark on the university and the sport.
Jones had been in hospice care for two weeks after health problems earlier in the year. He coached Hawai‘i from 1999 to 2007, winning conference titles in 1999 and 2007; the latter team went 12-0 in the regular season and reached the Sugar Bowl. Jones also played for the Falcons, later coached them from 1994 to 1996, served as San Diego’s interim coach in 1998, and led SMU from 2008 to 2014.
In short
- June Jones has died aged 73.
- He led Hawai‘i to a 12-0 regular season in 2007.
- His teams reached the school’s first Sugar Bowl.
Explained simply
June Jones was an American football coach and former player, best known in Hawai‘i for leading the University of Hawai‘i’s team, the Rainbow Warriors. He took charge in 1999, when the programme was rebuilding, and coached there until 2007.
Jones also played for the Atlanta Falcons and later coached the team, as well as coaching at Southern Methodist University in Texas. His career linked university and professional football, but his years in Hawai‘i were especially significant to the university and its supporters.
In 2007, Hawai‘i completed an unbeaten regular season and earned a place in the Sugar Bowl, one of the major games in US college football. The team’s success brought national attention to the programme and remains a landmark in its history.