Tony Jones, a former NFL striker who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, died at age 54. The Broncos confirmed Jones’ death on Friday night.
A 1988-2000 NFL striker, Jones spent his first eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns before moving to Baltimore in 1996. After a season with the Ravens, Jones spent his last four seasons in Denver. With Jones as his starting right, the 1997 Broncos won the franchise’s first Super Bowl. The following season, Jones and the Broncos repeated themselves as champions. A Pro Bowler during the 1998 season after moving to the left tackle, Jones has remained a starter for the past two seasons.
“We lost a great man,” wrote former Broncos receiver Rod Smith via Instagram. “It turns out he’s a hell of a playa. We love you and miss you, Bone. One of the best tackles of all time in the Broncos. The greatest dresser of ALL TIME!”
A member of the Broncos’ Top 100 team, Jones, six feet tall and sixty pounds, was part of a small but talented, offensive line in Denver that also included tackle buddy Gary Zimmerman, guards Mark Schlereth and Brian Habib and pivot Tom Nalen. The Broncos line helped build a Hall of Fame career for running back Terrell Davis, who took home MVP honors after Denver’s victory over defending champion Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The following season, Davis won the league’s MVP honors after running for 2,008 yards. At Super Bowl XXXIII, Jones’ protection from John Elway’s blind side helped Elway earn MVP honors in what was the final game of his Hall of Fame career.
During his last two seasons, Jones blocked for the 1,000-yard backs Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson. In 1994, Jones was classified as a second-time All-Pro, while helping the Browns advance to the divisional playoff round.
Jones started in 174 of his 184 appearances in the regular season. He also started in 12 of his 13 playoff games.
“He was an amazing guy, a really nice guy,” said Steve Atwater, a Hall of Fame security guard, on the Broncos website. “Great football player – I mean, nasty. That’s the kind of guy you want to go to war with if you go to war. And we were really good friends. We lived in the same neighborhood when we lived in Georgia – we lived down there in Pão de Açúcar We had a very good friendship … He and another friend of mine, we had lunch just before I moved from Atlanta, took me to lunch. I always remember how nice he was, how great he was with your kids. A good guy, man. “