June Jones June Sheldon Jones , III ( born February 19 , 1953 ) is an American football coach and former NFL player . he is the head football coach at Southern Methodist University , where he has served as head coach since the 2008 season . Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from 1999 to 2007 . Previously , he coached in the National Football League : a three - year tenure as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996 and a ten - game stint as interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998 . Biography . Early life . Jones grew up in Portland , Oregon , the second of four children born to Marilyn and June Jones Jr . Playing career . Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams : Oregon ( 1971 – 1972 ) , Hawaii ( 1973 – 1974 ) , and Portland State ( 1975 – 1976 ) . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot offense by Mouse Davis . It would be an offense that he would later champion throughout his coaching career . His two seasons at Portland State resulted in totals of 5 , 798 yards passing with 50 TD against 20 INT . He became the first quarterback to give the Run and Shoot legitimacy as a quarterback friendly offense . In the years prior , Portland State very rarely had success throwing the ball . 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 touchdown s and seven interception s . Coaching career . Early career . In 1983 , Jones started his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Dick Tomey at the University of Hawaii . He then spent two years in the USFL , first as the wide receivers coach for the Houston Gamblers ( 1984 ) , then as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Gold ( 1985 ) . Following the demise of the USFL , Jones spent the 1986 season working as an offensive assistant for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL . In 1987 , he got his first NFL coaching position serving as the quarterbacks coach on Jerry Glanville ' s staff with the Houston Oilers . After Glanville was released by the Oilers , he would join the Detroit Lions coaching staff upon the recommendation of Mouse Davis , his college head coach at Portland State who was serving as the team ' s offensive coordinator . Atlanta Falcons . Jones reunited with Glanville upon joining the Atlanta Falcons organization in 1991 as its assistant head coach . In 1994 , Jones replaced Glanville as the team ' s head coach , a move that caused a rift between the two . Reportedly , they did not speak to each other for several years thereafter . ( Later , in the 2000s , Jones would hire Glanville as defensive coordinator at Hawaii ) . As head coach , Jones installed the Run & Shoot offense he learned under Mouse Davis . Initially , quarterback Jeff George flourished under the system , passing for 3 , 734 yards and 23 touchdowns in Jones ' s first year and 4143 yards and 24 touchdowns his second year . In 1995 , Jones ' s second season as head coach , the Falcons went to the playoffs , losing in the first round to the Green Bay Packers . The following year , the Falcons posted a 3 – 13 record , leading to Jones ' s dismissal . Jones ' s coaching record over three seasons in Atlanta was nineteen wins and twenty - nine losses . He also clashed with quarterback Jeff George during his final season , including a well publicized and widely broadcast profanity laced shouting match during a September 23 game against the Philadelphia Eagles . The feud contributed to both men ' s release by the organization . San Diego Chargers . 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 fired after the sixth game and Jones became the interim head coach . The Chargers won three of ten games coached by Jones , giving him a career NFL coaching record of 22 wins and 36 losses . Hawaii . Jones joined the University of Hawaii - Mānoa football team as head coach , replacing Fred von Appen , who was fired when the team lost 18 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 . With Jones ' s success on the field , and media - friendly persona off the field , he instantly became one of the most famous people in Hawaii , with some people making " June Jones for Governor " T - shirts . Reflecting his offensive philosophy , bumper stickers sporting the slogan " June would throw " appeared . These reference legendary Hawaiian lifeguard Eddie Aikau , of whom it is said , " Eddie would go " ( into big surf ) . During his tenure at Hawaii , he coached five All - American s , 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 nearly died in a car accident on February 22 , 2001 , missing the spring season because of his injuries . On December 24 , 2006 , Jones passed Dick Tomey to become the winningest head coach in Hawaii football history ( against an all - college schedule ) with a 41 – 24 victory over Arizona State in the 2006 Hawaii Bowl . Frustrated with what he viewed as a lack of support from the University , Jones opted to leave Hawaii at the end of the 2007 season . After initial reports had him interviewing at SMU , Hawaii officials had offers to raise his salary from $ 800 , 000 a year to $ 1 . 7 million a year and offered a commitment to improve its facilities ; in addition there was an outpouring of support from Hawaii fans , including Gov . Linda Lingle . However , Jones contacted Hawaii on January 7 , 2008 and let them know he had decided to accept an offer from SMU . Jones said the work that needed to be done to improve the football facilities and the campus in general would never get done with him still there . He said after all of the broken promises , leaving was the only way to send a message . Jones went 76 – 41 at Hawaii , including 4 – 2 in bowls . His teams finished first in the WAC twice and second two other times . SMU . In a press conference at the Hall of Champions adjacent to Gerald J . Ford Stadium on January 7 , 2008 , Jones was introduced as the new head football coach at Southern Methodist University . He was the school ' s fifth coach since the " death penalty " in 1987 . Jones signed a five - year contract with SMU , paying him two million dollars annually , and making him the highest - paid coach in Conference USA . He guided the SMU Mustangs to a 1 – 11 record in 2008 . On November 28 , 2009 , Jones coached SMU to a win over Tulane , ending the regular season with a 7 – 5 record , the most SMU victories in a season since the 1980s . The 2009 season included a win over the defending and eventual repeat C - USA champion , East Carolina . The 2009 season also saw Jones utilize the ground game more than in recent seasons . Jones has led SMU to its third bowl - eligible season ( 6 – 5 in 1997 , 6 – 6 in 2006 ) , and to its first bowl game ( Hawai ' i Bowl ) since the 1984 Aloha Bowl and the NCAA - imposed death penalty . SMU defeated Nevada , 45 – 10 , to finish the season 8 – 5 . As in 1999 , Jones coached his team to the most improved record in Division I football . In 2010 , Jones coached the Mustangs to a . 500 season . The Mustangs went 7 – 7 overall with a conference record of 6 – 2 , helping them clinch the C - USA Western title . The team beat the previous year ' s C - USA champion , East Carolina , in overtime in the final regular season game but lost the Conference USA Championship Game in Orlando to the UCF the next week . Jones and the Mustangs went to their second consecutive bowl game , the Armed Forces Bowl , losing to the Army Black Knights , 16 – 14 . The game was played at SMU ' s Gerald J . Ford Stadium because the game ' s the normal venue , Texas Christian University ' s Amon G . Carter Stadium , was undergoing renovation . Coaching style . Jones ' offenses rarely run the ball , favoring a wide - open , pass - heavy offense , the run and shoot approach ; however , in 2010 sophomore tailback Zach Line rushed for over 1450 yards in 14 games , making him the 11th best rusher in the FBS . Criticism . Joe Moore of KHON - TV in Honolulu , Hawaii faulted Jones for discarding long - standing traditions , such as changing music played during home games , and the change in the uniforms and team nickname during his tenure . Jones negotiated a contract worth $ 800 , 016 during the 2004 season , which made him the highest - paid public employee in the state , even though the football team was struggling . The team finished with a 7 – 5 regular season record and an invitation to the Hawaii Bowl . Half of the $ 800 , 000 salary was paid by private donors .