June Jones, the football mind behind the groundbreaking run and shoot offense, has passed away at 73 years old. He was known best for his incredible vision in developing an offense that forever changed how the game is played.
From Portland to Pro: A Vision Takes Hold
Born and raised in Portland, Jones carved out his early legend as a quarterback at Portland State in 1975 and 1976. He played for head coach Mouse Davis, and it was under Davis’s system that Jones really started to show what was possible. With Jones running the offense, Portland State put up passing numbers that football had rarely seen at any level. It was wild, exciting, and absolutely ahead of its time.
Jones even signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent and played five seasons in the NFL, mostly as a backup. His own passing numbers in the pros might not have been eye-popping, but he saw something bigger. He became convinced that the run and shoot, an offense built around one running back and four wide receivers, could absolutely dominate at the highest levels of football, even though no NFL team had ever really dared to deploy it. That’s belief right there, a guy seeing the future when everyone else was still stuck in the past.
Coaching Moon and Changing the Game
After hanging up his cleats, Jones immediately jumped into coaching, starting as an assistant at Hawaii in 1983. He spent two years in the USFL and CFL, honing his craft and that revolutionary offensive philosophy. Then, in 1987, Coach Jerry Glanville brought him to the Houston Oilers as their quarterbacks coach. This was a pivotal moment.
With the Oilers, Jones got to work with future Hall of Famer Warren Moon. And let me tell you, when you put an elite quarterback with an innovator like Jones and his run and shoot, magic happens. He helped show the entire league what that offense could do, how explosive it could be. It wasn’t just theory anymore, it was on tape, and it was lighting up scoreboards.
Jones left the Oilers after two years, but his impact on the game, especially with that potent run and shoot, was undeniable. He changed how offenses thought about the pass, and his influence echoes through football today. We’re still seeing glimpses of that innovative spirit in today’s high-flying attacks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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