HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi Athletics Department and the entire Rainbow Warrior family mourn the passing of legendary former head football coach June Jones. Jones passed away Thursday morning in Oregon at the age of 73. 
 
One of the most towering figures in Hawai'i sports history, Jones revitalized the Hawaiʻi football program, leading the Rainbow Warriors to unprecedented heights while impacting the lives of countless players.
 
Jones' deep connection to the islands began long before his historic coaching tenure. He first arrived in Mānoa in 1973 transferring from Oregon to play quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors. Decades later, he returned to his alma mater when the program needed him most. Taking over as head coach in 1999, Jones inherited a team that had gone 0-12 the previous year. In his very first season, he orchestrated the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA football history at the time, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 9-4 record and an Oʻahu Bowl victory.
 
Over nine seasons in Mānoa, Jones became the winningest head football coach in UH history, compiling a 76-41 record. His mastery of the run-and-shoot offense electrified Aloha Stadium, turning it into one of the most celebrated environments in college football. The pinnacle of his tenure came in 2007, when he guided Hawaiʻi to an undefeated 12-0 regular season, an outright Western Athletic Conference championship, and a historic appearance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. In all, Jones led UH to six bowl appearances, going 4-2 in postseason contests, and two conference titles (1999, 2007).
 
Jones mentored some of the most prolific players in college football history, including quarterback Timmy Chang, who became the NCAA's all-time leading passer before following Jones' footsteps as Rainbow Warrior head coach in 2022. Fellow quarterback Colt Brennan earned iconic status setting multiple school and NCAA records during a decorated career that saw him become the school's first and only Heisman Trophy finalist in 2007.
 
Jones, Brennan and the 2007 UH football squad have all been inducted into the UH Circle of Honor. 
 
Information regarding memorial services and ways to honor Coach Jones' legacy will be announced in the coming days.
 
Statement on behalf of University of Hawai'i Athletics
The University of Hawaiʻi Athletics ʻohana is deeply saddened by the passing of former head football coach June Jones. Coach Jones was a true visionary who elevated the Rainbow Warrior football program to unprecedented heights while serving as an incredible ambassador for the university.
 
Upon arriving in Mānoa in 1999, Coach Jones didn't just rebuild a program; he restored the community's pride in Rainbow Warrior football. From orchestrating the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA history to leading UH to an undefeated regular season and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2007, his tenure will be forever remembered for the joy the Warriors provided for countless fans throughout the state of Hawai'i and beyond.
 
The current coaching staff's inclusion of several former UH players, including head coach Timmy Chang, speaks to Coach Jones' fierce belief in Hawai'i's talent and potential. His legacy is forever woven into the fabric of our university and UH Athletics.
 
The UH 'ohana extends its heartfelt condolences, thoughts, and aloha to Coach Jones' family, friends, and the numerous student-athletes whose lives he forever changed.

Tributes About Coach June Jones
This section will be updated with further tributes.

Timmy Chang, UH football head coach and former Rainbow Warrior quarterback
"Words can't express the sorrow I feel today. Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game. He believed in a young kid from Hawai'i and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to run his offense. And his impact didn't stop when my playing days ended. He guided me every step of the way as I transitioned into coaching, always making time to share his wisdom and support me when I took over this program. He put Hawai'i football on the map and showed us all what was possible. We lost a true legend today, but I will spend the rest of my career trying to honor his legacy, his passion for this university, and the Aloha he shared with everyone he touched. My deepest condolences go out to his 'ohana and all those who he impacted."

Josh Green, Governor, State of Hawai'i
"June was an exceptional human being. He was a motivator of young people and he was a winner. He won big moments for us, and that put us into the spotlight. June has put his arms around a lot of people in the state of Hawai'i; a lot of players, a lot of businesses, and he was very kind to me over the years, reaching out and giving advice to people in different disciplines. He is one of Hawai'i's legends."

Rick Blangiardi, Mayor, City and County of Honolulu, former UH player and coach
"The 2007 season and making the Sugar Bowl, that went over what anybody ever thought was possible. That just shows you what is possible when someone can achieve that. I was on the field for the game (against) the University of Washington. We were down 21 points, not once but twice, and still came back to win against a very formidable opponent. That kind of coaching and who he was was very, very special. He leaves an incredible legacy here. June was very special, we will miss him, but his legacy will live on."

Artie Wilson, former UH basketball player, TV commentator, close friend of June Jones
"June was an innovator with an incredible, brilliant mind. But more importantly, he cared about his players, his coaches, and loved the people of Hawai'i. What made him so different from everybody else is he truly cared about people and players on an individual level and collectively, and the players felt it. It wasn't a show, it wasn't a demonstration for everybody to observe. He did it in a dignified way, in a special way where the players felt it, and they would have run through walls for him. He had success in Hawai'i because he did it the right way, and there's no question he was one of the brilliant offensive minds of modern football. For me personally, I never had a brother, so he was the closest that I've had to a brother. He was my dear friend that I will miss immensely, and he will always be with me."

George Lumpkin, longtime UH assistant coach
"June was an amazing guy who loved young people and was always willing to give young people a second chance to help them to continuously grow and become the person that God had created them to be. People know him as a football coach, but he was much more than a football coach. He was a quiet man, a humble man, he really never cared about headlines and being out in the public eye. But he cared about people, especially young people; cared about how they were going to develop and become productive citizens in their community. Everyone knows that he was a genius when it came to football and that's why everywhere he went he was very successful."

Rich Miano, former UH player and coach, current TV commentator
"When I think of him, I think of someone that not only was a mentor, a visionary, a pioneer. He was someone who loved Hawai'i so much that it resonated with his coaching staff, the players, the fans, and the state in general. Those were the the greatest years in University of Hawai'i football history, and he made us all believe when it didn't seem possible or plausible that we could be as good as we were. If you needed a leader, he was the perfect leader because of his love and his aloha for the people in this state. He totally believed, no matter how bad the odds were, that Hawai'i could be a winning program, and it was because of his optimism and his love for this state."

Chad Owens, former UH receiver, CFL Hall of Fame inductee
"Coach Jones, he was family. You consider someone family when it's someone that you know you can call and talk to about anything and they're always going to give you some kind of advice, and then never steer you wrong, and that was Coach Jones. I owe my entire career to him. … Coach Jones, he's a one-of-one coach. The best coach I've ever had because he was a guru when it came to the X's and O's of the game, and simultaneously, he was a guru at the X's and O's of life, and how to merge the two together and how to motivate you in ways that didn't take shouting and yelling. He was a storyteller, and he just had a knack for getting you ready to play a football game that I've never experienced anywhere else."
 
Dan Morrison, former UH, SMU and CFL assistant coach
"There were certain things about him offensively and as a coach that were just so different than most. He had a very unusual way of looking at and handling the offense, and I always appreciated that, and it really fit who I was too, that's why we worked together so long. He didn't see it in the traditional forms, he saw it in a very unique way, and that was very special. When a kid made a mistake on the field, it was more an opportunity to teach than it was to yell and swear and all that stuff. I got a lot of calls from players today that were just thankful for the opportunity, whether it was Hawaii or SMU. Obviously, he was way ahead of the game as far as the passing game, and just how the whole program should be run, and a lot of kids really appreciated the opportunity to play for him, so I think that's always a telling sign."

Don Murphy, owner Murphy's Bar & Grill, longtime UH supporter
"He was a dear friend and an incredibly generous guy. I don't think a lot of people knew that about him, but he was really, really generous. He helped people out whenever he could. He was one of the first ones to step up and say, 'What do you need? I can help you out.' He always put the players and everybody else first before himself. He was really, really good about that. I've been through several coaches, and he was just the best. He did so much for Hawai'i football, for the state of Hawai'i, for the University of Hawai'i."
 
Ron Lee, former UH assistant coach
"When June came over and worked with Dick Tomey, he knew I was running the run-and-shoot (at Saint Louis School). He would come up to the school, he was recruiting for UH, and he liked what we were doing and we talked run-and-shoot. That's how I got to meet June. And then eventually he came back, and when he got the head job (at UH) we were able to work together. We stayed in contact even when he left, but June was always more of a friend than a boss. He was a really good guy. Everybody loved him."

Chris Brown, UH Associate Head Coach/Linebackers Coach, former UH linebacker
"He taught us something that I will take for the rest of my life. He said, 'You will learn more about life in the game of football than any other education that you receive.' I didn't know it at the time, but as I got older, I understood what he was saying. You know how to work hard, how to work for a common goal, how to work as a teammate. He was right about it all. You talk about a mentor. You talk about somebody who had an impact on so many of us that are all across the country still coaching because of that man. It's just unbelievable the knowledge, the wisdom, that he passed down to us. Like I told the team today, if not for him, none of us would be here. That's how I truly feel, because he's the one who taught us about not just X's and O's, but about life, and what a great leader he was for all of us."
 
Derek Faavi, UH offensive line coach, former UH offensive lineman
"I think back and I'm probably not here without him. I think most recently when we went to watch one section collapse at Aloha Stadium, I got to see him and actually got to thank him. I said, 'Coach, all of these memories in Aloha Stadium were because of you.' That was huge for me."

Solomon Elimiman, former UH linebacker, program's career leader in tackles
"June embodied the spirit of Hawaii Warrior football. He was a mentor, a great coach, and just a great person. When you thought about Hawaii football, it was June Jones. It was the confidence he brought to the organization, the confidence he brought to the island, that no matter who we played against we had a shot at winning. It was just his demeanor, how calm he was, he always was under control. He was someone who was more than a football coach. He a father figure to so many of the guys. … He was someone who understood football and could teach football and really get the best out of players. He was someone who always looked out for his players and someone that you trusted that if you needed something he was gonna be there for you."

Ryan Grice-Mullen, former UH receiver
"I came from a high school where we went 1-19 in two years. But he still brought me out, he saw something in me, and believed in me, allowing me to just furthermore believe in myself.  One of the sayings that we used to hear almost every day, whether it's something that I messed up on, whether it's something that I did great on, he always preached 'one snap and clear.' That's something that I carry in my life today, even with my own family. When things happen, to know that was just one moment, but you still have the rest of your time to correct it and to make it better, or to learn from the mistakes and move forward in a positive manner. I owe so much to him, bringing me into the family at UH, and allowing me to meet some of my best friends, and to meet my wife. So he definitely played a huge role in my life today."

Greg Salas, former UH receiver, program leader in career receiving yards
"I owe a lot to him. I think every single one of my scholarship offers were to play defense, and immediately he moved me to offense. So I'm really not a receiver if not for June Jones. He just had such a way with words where you would just hang onto every single thing he said. As a player you believed everything he said. If he told you, 'this is gonna work,' then you sat there and you had a deep belief that those things were gonna work. I think that's why he was so effective as a coach. … I'll never forget that when I got drafted by the Rams, he had called the GM and already put in some good words for me, even though he already had moved on from Hawaii and went to SMU. I don't know if coaches do that all the time, but I just remember feeling extreme gratitude for him personally."