June Jones, who led the University of Hawaii to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history, died today in Oregon.
Jones, 73, had health problems this year and went into hospice two weeks ago, according to a close family friend.
Jones, a former UH quarterback in 1973 and 1974, is the most successful coach in UH football history.
In December 1998, he turned down a job with the San Diego Chargers to take the head coaching job at UH.
Jones took over a program that had finished 0-12 the previous season and led the Warriors to a 9-4 record, tying for first place in the Western Athletic Conference. At the time, it was the greatest turnaround in college football history, earning Jones the National Coach of the Year award.
Under Jones, the Warriors went 12-0 in the 2007 regular season, won the WAC title, and earned a spot in the Bowl Championship Series Sugar Bowl in 2008, where they lost to Georgia.
Jones moved to SMU following a contract dispute with UH.