Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach June Jones dies at 73

HAMILTON — Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach June Jones has died at age 73, the CFL club announced Thursday.

Jones, whose coaching career spanned the CFL, NFL and U.S. college football, spent parts of two seasons as Hamilton’s head coach in 2017 and 2018.

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Jones had been dealing with health problems and entered hospice care two weeks before his death.

He was originally hired by the Tiger-Cats as an assistant in August 2017 before taking over as interim head coach when Kent Austin stepped aside following a 0-8 start.

Jones inherited a struggling team that had lost nine straight home games and made restoring the players’ confidence a priority.

He also sought to simplify Hamilton’s offence along with incorporating elements of the run-and-shoot system he helped pioneer, first as a quarterback and later as a coach.

“For me, I’m going to make it fun for the last 10 games and try to get some wins,” Jones said shortly after taking over.

He guided the Tiger-Cats to six victories in their final 10 games.

Hamilton went 8-10 the following season and advanced to the East Division final, where it lost 46-27 to the Ottawa Redblacks.

“Jones brought tremendous experience, an innovative offensive mind and a steady presence to Hamilton,” the Tiger-Cats said in a statement Thursday.
”His belief in his players and commitment to helping them succeed left a lasting impression on those who worked alongside him.”

Jones stepped aside in December 2018 to allow Orlondo Steinauer to become head coach. He remained with Hamilton as the club’s offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach before leaving for the XFL’s Houston franchise in May 2019.

“It is a great city, it’s my kind of city, and I’ll have fond thoughts forever,” Jones said of Hamilton.

He also served as head coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and had the interim role with the San Diego Chargers, while his college career included stops at Hawaii and Southern Methodist University.


Jones also spent time as a quarterback in the CFL with Toronto (1982), where he reunited with head coach Darel (Mouse) Davis, under whom he had learned the run-and-shoot offence at Portland State.

He later teamed with Davis, considered the architect of the modern run-and-shoot offence, to launch an online certification program teaching the system, which emphasizes multiple receivers and routes that adjust to defensive coverage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2026.

The Canadian Press