June Jones helped make the "run-and-shoot" offense mainstream, from the NFL down to college football.

Jones, who died Thursday at 73, left a lasting imprint on the sport during stops with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Hawaii, SMU and even the XFL. Here are the most memorable moments from his long career.

A leader, coach, mentor and innovator who helped bring Hawai'i Football to unprecedented heights.

Rest In Aloha, June Jones. pic.twitter.com/ZfEV0b2Y1p

— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) October 29, 2026

4. Undefeated in the XFL

Jones went undefeated in the final head coaching stint of his career — but that accomplishment comes with an asterisk.

He took over the Houston Roughnecks of the latest incarnation of the XFL in 2020, and guided them to a 5-0 start.

Then came COVID-19. That led the XFL to shut down its season midway through. Jones still earned XFL Coach of the Year honors.

3. Led the Falcons to the playoffs

Jones took the reins of the Falcons from Jerry Glanville in 1994. A year later, with Jeff George and Eric Metcalf leading the way, he had their version of the run-and-shoot offense humming: Atlanta finished 9-7 and earned just its second playoff berth in 13 years.

In the only NFL playoff appearance of Jones’ head coaching career, the Falcons lost that wild-card matchup 37-20 to Green Bay. Jones was fired a year later after Atlanta went 3-13, a collapse marked by a memorable argument between Jones and George on the sideline.

2. SMU: From the ‘death penalty’ to a bowl

SMU’s program was shut down for two years in the 1980s due to widespread rules violations within the program. Coming back from that wound up being a multi-decade project. From their first year back in 1989, the Mustangs went 20 years without producing a single winning season. 

To bring an end to that streak, they turned to Jones in 2008. He went 1-11 in his first season, then took a massive step forward in ‘09: SMU went 8-4, finished second in Conference USA and earned the program’s first bowl berth since 1984. The Mustangs beat Nevada 45-10 in the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu — where Jones had deep familiarity.

1. Hawaii's 2007 Sugar Bowl season

Jones teamed with Colt Brennan during the Warriors’ charmed 2007 season. The Colorado transfer set the FBS record with 131 career touchdown passes — a mark that has since been passed by five others — on his way to becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist. The Warriors started that season 12-0, climbed to a No. 10 ranking and won the Western Athletic Conference title.

Their reward: A Sugar Bowl date with Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and No. 4 Georgia. The Bulldogs routed Hawaii 41-10, but for the Warriors, the memories of that run have only grown fonder over time.