Homer Jones, the Giants wide receiver who made two Pro Bowls in the 1960s and is recognized as the first player to spike a football after scoring a touchdown, died following a battle with lung cancer on Wednesday.
He was 82 years old.
Jones was a member of the Giants from 1964-1969, where he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1967 and 1968.
“Homer Jones had a unique combination of speed and power and was a threat to score whenever he touched the ball,” said John Mara, the Giants president and chief executive officer.
“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. I remember him as an easygoing, friendly individual who was well liked by his teammates and coaches.”
In 1967, he tallied a career-high 49 catches, 1,209 yards and 24.7 yards per reception.
Jones, who was often quarterback Fran Tarkenton’s main target, led the league with 13 touchdowns that season.
Sports Illustrated called the Tarkenton to Jones connection “the most feared combination in the NFL.”
The following season, he again was a deep target for Tarkenton, with 23.5 yards per reception.
The Giants wouldn’t have another Pro Bowl receiver until Steve Smith in the 2009 season.
Jones, who played six seasons with Big Blue, ranks sixth all-time among Giants receivers with 4,845 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns.
After his time with the Giants, Jones played one season with the Browns in 1970, where he most notably returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the first Monday Night Football game — a 31-21 Cleveland victory over the Jets.
A devastating knee injury contributed to the end of his career at the age of 29 after that season but his NFL legacy is cemented because of the historic touchdown celebration.
Jones saw his Giants teammates Frank Gifford and Alex Webster throw footballs in the stands but commissioner Pete Rozelle banned the act in addition to a $50 fine.
Jones improvised when he scored a touchdown at Yankee Stadium against the Eagles in 1965.
“I was fixing to throw it into the grandstand,” Jones told ESPN in 2015. “But just as I was raising my arm, the reality snapped into my head. Mr. Rozelle would have fined me. That was a lot of money in those days. So I just threw the ball down into the end zone, into the grass. Folks got excited, and I did it for the rest of my career.”
Jones is survived by six children, according to KLTV in Texas.
