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Tony Jones, a former NFL offensive lineman who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, has died aged 54. The Broncos confirmed Jones’ death on Friday night.
An NFL lineman from 1988-2000, Jones spent his first eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns before moving with the team to Baltimore in 1996. After a season with the Ravens, Jones spent his last four seasons. in Denver. With Jones as the starting right tackle, the 1997 Broncos won the franchise’s first Super Bowl. The following season, Jones and the Broncos repeated as champions. A Pro Bowler in the 1998 season after moving to left tackle, Jones remained in the starting lineup for his last two seasons.
“We’ve lost a great man,” former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith wrote via Instagram. “It turned out to be just one hell of a ball game. We love you and miss you Bone. One of the best Broncos tackles of all time. Greatest dresser of ALL TIME! “
A member of the Broncos’ Top 100 squad, the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder Jones was part of a small but talented offensive line in Denver that also included compatriot Gary Zimmerman, guards Mark Schlereth and Brian Habib, and the Tom Nalen center. The Broncos line helped carve a Hall of Fame career for running back Terrell Davis, who won MVP honors after Denver’s upset victory over defending champion Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The following season, Davis won the league MVP honors after running for 2,008 yards. In Super Bowl XXXIII, Jones’ protection of John Elway’s blind side helped Elway earn MVP honors in what was the last game of his Hall of Fame career.
In his last two seasons, Jones blocked for 1,000-yard full-backs Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson. In 1994, Jones was called a second All-Pro team while helping the Browns advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Jones has started 174 of his 184 regular season appearances. He also started in 12 of his 13 playoff games.
“He was a great guy, really nice,” Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater told the Broncos website. “Great football player – bad, bad. He’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 – lived in Sugarloaf there. We had a really good friendship. … he and another friend of mine, we had lunch a bit before we moved out of Atlanta, he took me to lunch. I still remember what how nice a guy he was, how great he was with his kids. A good guy, man. “
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