Hawaii coach June Jones, architect of the 2007 undefeated season, dies at 73

June Jones, the coach who installed the run-and-shoot offense at the University of Hawaii and led the Rainbow Warriors to a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2007, died on Thursday. He was 73 years old.

Hawaii’s football program released a statement confirming his death but did not list a specific cause. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that a close family friend said Jones had entered hospice care in Oregon, his home state, two weeks prior to his passing.

Timmy Chang, the current head coach at Hawaii, served as a wide receiver under Jones and later set the NCAA record for career passing yards. Chang described Jones as a mentor and a father figure. “He believed in a young kid from Hawaii and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to run his offense,” Chang said.

Jones learned the system from Mouse Davis at Portland State, where he played quarterback in the 1980s. The offense featured four wide receivers who adjusted their routes in real time and rarely ran the ball. Jones brought the scheme to the NFL, serving as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons in the 1990s. He also held an interim role with the San Diego Chargers after replacing Kevin Gilbride.

His tenure in Atlanta produced one playoff appearance with quarterback Jeff George, but the defense struggled to keep up with the fast-paced attack. Jones was fired after three years. He returned to Hawaii in 1999 after the team finished a 0-12 season. He turned the program around, finishing with a 76-41 record over nine seasons to become the winningest coach in school history.

The 2007 campaign represented the program’s peak. Quarterback Colt Brennan led the team to a spot in the Bowl Championship Series, the precursor to the current College Football Playoff. The Rainbow Warriors lost to Georgia 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. After leaving Hawaii, Jones coached at Southern Methodist University, where he compiled a 36-43 record over more than six years.

Governor Josh Green praised Jones as an exceptional human being who won big moments for the state. “He was a motivator of young people and he was a winner,” Green said.