June Jones, who took Hawaii to the Sugar Bowl with the run-and-shoot, dies at 73

June Jones, the coach who made the run-and-shoot famous at Hawaii and later pulled SMU back to bowl games, died Thursday. He was 73.

His coaching program, Run and Shoot Certification, announced the death on social media, USA Today reported, and the University of Hawaii confirmed it. Hawaii's statement did not give a cause of death, according to the Associated Press.

Jones played quarterback at Hawaii before he coached there, and he came back as head coach in 1999. He left in 2007 as the school's all-time winningest coach at 76-41, ESPN reported. His teams won conference titles in 1999 and 2007. The 2007 team went 12-0 in the regular season behind Colt Brennan and earned Hawaii's first BCS bowl bid, the Sugar Bowl.

He also coached Timmy Chang, who became the NCAA's career passing yards leader and now runs the Hawaii program.

"Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game," Chang said in a statement. "He put Hawai'i football on the map and showed us all what was possible."

From Hawaii he went to SMU, where his first team went 1-11, CBS Texas noted. Then the Mustangs reached four straight bowl games, their first postseason trips since the NCAA's 1987 "death penalty," and won division titles in 2009 and 2010. He stepped down two games into the 2014 season.

"Coach Jones helped restore a winning tradition on the Hilltop," SMU said.

Jones learned the offense from its inventor, Mouse Davis, while playing at Portland State. He played five seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, then worked his way up through the USFL, the CFL and the Houston Oilers' quarterback room. He was the Falcons' head coach from 1994 to 1996 and the Chargers' interim coach for 10 games in 1998. He later led the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the XFL's Houston Roughnecks.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, a former Hawaii player and assistant, pointed to the 2007 comeback against Washington, when Hawaii trailed by 21 points twice and still won. "He leaves an incredible legacy here," Blangiardi said.