Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon (1971-1972), Hawaii (1973-1974), and Portland State (1975-1976). Thereafter he entered professional football, playing for the Atlanta Falcons 1977-1981) of the National Football League and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (1982). In four seasons with the Falcons, Jones completed 75 of 166 passes for 923 yards with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. [1] In 1983 Jones began coaching a variety of college and professional teams, notably the Atlanta Falcons and, since December 1998, the University of Hawaii. In 1994, Jones returned to the Falcons organization as head coach. Favoring powerful, high-scoring offenses, he emphasized an aggressive game. Quarterback Jeff George passed for 3,734 yards that year. In 1995, the Falcons went to the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Green Bay Packers. In 1996 the team dropped to a 3-13 record. Jones's coaching record over three seasons in Atlanta was nineteen wins and twenty-nine losses. Jones returned to coaching when the San Diego Chargers hired him as quarterbacks coach on January 20, 1998. On October 13, 1998, head coach Kevin Gilbride was let go after the sixth game and Jones became the interim head coach. In games coached by Jones, the Chargers won three of ten games, giving Jones a career NFL coaching record of 22 wins and 36 losses. Jones joined the University of HawaiÊ»i-Mânoa football team as head coach, replacing Fred von Appen, who was fired when the team lost 17 games in a row, including all twelve games in the 1998 season. Jones led the Warriors to a 9-4 record and a share of the Western Athletic Conference football championship in the 1999 season, making it the most dramatic turnaround in NCAA football history. Jones's success on the field and media-friendly persona off the field instantly became one of the most famous people in Hawaii. In Jones's first four seasons, he coached five All-Americans, 52 all-conference performers, and eight NFL draft picks. In particular, Jones claims to have made a special effort to recruit local talent in his players and coaching staff. One of the most notable of his recruits was quarterback Timmy Chang, who became the all-time NCAA leader in passing yardage. Jones's time in Hawaii has not been without controversy. He has set new precedents as head coach, and some fault him for discarding long-standing traditions. After his first season, he made several changes to the identity of the football team, including changing the name of the football team from "Rainbow Warriors" to simply "Warriors." Jones nearly died in a car accident on February 22, 2001, missing the spring season because of his injuries.[5] During the 2004 season, after negotiating a contract with a $800,000 annual salary making him the highest-paid public employee in the state, he faced discontent from fans and media about his struggling team. The team eventually finished with a 7-5 regular season and a victory in the Hawaii Bowl.

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