Homer Jones—R.I.P.

 By John Turney 

Former Giants' Pro Bowl split end Homer Jones was born in Pittsburg, Texas on February 18, 1941, and on June 14, 2023, he died there at age 82.

He had been battling lung cancer and is survived by his six children.

Giants president John Mara said in a statement, "Homer Jones had a unique combination of speed and power and was a threat to score whenever he touched the ball. He was one of the first players (if not the first) to spike the ball in the end zone after scoring a touchdown and he quickly became a fan favorite."

Jones was an Olympic-level sprinter in college and was a big man for his position (6-2, 220 pounds) making him someone who was difficult to cover in his prime, someone who could take the top off of a defense as it would be termed these days.

From 1966-68 Jones averaged 47 catches, 1,103 yards (23.2 average) and 9 touchdowns per season. The speedster led the NFL in touchdown receptions in 1967 and was a consensus All-Pro that year. He was All-Conference in 1968 and a Pro Bowler both seasons.

In that three-year span, he caught 28 touchdown passes - in pro football only Bob Hayes and Lance Alworth had more. Only Alworth, Don Maynard and George Sauer had more receiving yards in the same span and no one topped his 23.3 yards-per-catch average.

Clearly, the was among the very best receivers in all of pro football - NFL and AFL.

He was Fran Tarkenton's game-breaker in New York and did it with simplicity. Tarkenton once told Sports Illustrated there were just three routes for Jones - first a hitch, second a slant-and-go and the third was simply a "go" or fly. "On the fly," related Tarkenton, "I'd drop seven yards and throw it as far as I could. I couldn't overthrow Homer."

But his three-year peak ended in 1969. It was also the beginning of the end of his NFL career.

Early that year it was rumored that he'd been dangled as trade bait when the Giants wanted a defensive tackle. Next, there were criticisms of him tipping plays by not going one hundred percent on plays away from him. Then late in the year, he was moved to tight end for a few games.

Right after the season, the former Pro Bowler was traded to the Browns for Ron Johnson, Jim Kanicki and Wayne Meylan but the then 29-year-old was not effective in Cleveland and played his final NFL season there.

Expected to be the replacement for Paul Warfield who'd been dealt by the Browns to the Dolphins Jones' route-running was not as precise as the Browns coaches wanted - Jones had been able to freelance in New York, adapting to quarterback Fran Tarkenton's scrambling style and in a more simplistic approach.

Frustrated, the Browns traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals but he never reported. He told the Cardinals' coach that he had gained weight and didn't think he could get into football shape.

He retired soon after.

Three years later, at 33, Jones signed with the New York Stars of the World Football League but did not but his lighting speed had left him, being timed at 4.8 in the forty-yard dash at Stars' camp. 

Without his signature speed, he was not useful to the Stars and was released.

Originally, Jones was a 24th-round pick in the 1962 AFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers but the choice was voided, and the 1961 second-team Black College All-American returned to Texas Southern College (now Texas Southern University) for his final year of eligibility.

In the following year's drafts, he was a Houston Oilers fifth-round pick in the AFL Draft and a 20th-rounder in the NFL Draft - by the New York Giants.

The man nicknamed "Seabiscuit" chose the Oilers, closer to his Pittsburg, Texas, hometown but while working out he reinjured a knee he'd hurt in college his senior year upon reporting to the Oilers he flunked his physical. While pondering his situation and not hearing anything from the club Jones asked for, and got, his release.

Jones, knowing he had elite speed - he'd beaten Bob Hayes in a 200-meter race and once ran a 9.3 100-yard dash - called Wellington Mara, then the Giants vice-president and asked if they were still interested in his services.

Coach Allie Sherman reportedly told Jones, "Grab the first plane and get to New York right away."

The Giants brought him to the Big Apple and fixed his knee. Jones was found out to have only 90 percent flexibility in his bum knee and the team surgeon - with a quick slice - got it back to 100 percent.

Mara told the media, "We feel like Jones is a good gamble. With his great speed, size and exceptional hands he should be the ideal flanker."

When the knee healed it allowed Jones to spend the 1963 season on the taxi squad, pretending to be opposing receivers on the scout team to give the Giants' defense a "look" at what they might face in upcoming games. He might play the role of Sonny Randle one week, Bobby Mitchell in another, and perhaps Tommy McDonald the next.

He was again in the cab squad for most of 1964 so it wasn't until 1965 that Jones got his chance to play - but Mara was wrong - he wasn't the ideal flanker. He proved to be better on the single-receiver side and played mostly split end (and left end) for the Giants.

Not yet a starter yet but he still exploded on the NFL scene with 709 yards on 26 catches, six going for scores. His 27.3 yards per reception was mind-boggling - still the fourth-best ever for receivers with 25 or more receptions.

That year he also made his lasting mark on NFL and popular culture - by spiking the football. Though not a power slam like was commonly seen after - it was a quick throw to the ground from just above the waist but it was the original seed, the spark of inspiration for generations of football players to come - at all levels, 

That spike changed the game of football.

Playing in New York and in the more established NFL certainly boosted the legacy of Jones's spike - when a couple of AFL players in Denver did the same thing the year before it didn't get any ink but with the reach of the Gotham press Homer's legacy was set forever.

First or not, he popularized the celebration in the nation's largest market.

Jones finished his NFL career with 224 receptions for 4,986 yards and 36 touchdowns and a 22.3 average catch -- which is the NFL's best-ever for players with 200 or more catches.

Even though he played just six seasons with the Giants he is still prominent in their record books. He is sixth in team history in reception yardage and is tied for sixth in touchdown receptions. He is 25th in receptions and of course, his average gain is also tops.

As a collegiate gridder, Jones was a two-time All-Conference player at Texas Southern where he was a teammate of both Hall-of-Famer Winston Hill and All-AFL wide receiver Warren Wells.

He began as a linebacker as a freshman but played in the backfield in his final three seasons as a Texas Southern Tiger both as a running back and as a flanker. He led the school in rushing yards and receiving yards in 1960 and averaged 24.6 yards a reception in 1961.

In his two healthy years on offense as a sophomore and junior, he caught 37 passes for 753 yards (20.4-yard average) and six touchdowns. His senior year he was slowed by his initial knee injury but was still named to the first-team Black All-American Team after being named second-team as a junior.

In track, he was the star sprinter on the team that won the 1961 and 1962 NAIA National Championships. 

In the summer of 1962, as a member of the United States track team, he won a gold medal in the USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet series. He was part of the 4x100 relay team that featured Bob Hayes, Hayes Jones and Paul Drayton - all of whom won Olympic Gold medals in Tokyo in 1964. 

When you own the NFL record for yards per catch and have beaten Bob Hayes in a footrace, ran on two national champion track teams, raced with track legends, and are named Black All-American in football twice it makes your career worth remembering.

Rest in peace, Homer.