Tony Jones, a former NFL offensive lineman who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, has died at the age of 54. The Broncos confirmed Jones' death Friday evening.
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 one season with the Ravens, Jones spent his final four seasons in Denver. With Jones as their 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 during the 1998 season after moving to left tackle, Jones remained in the starting lineup during his final two seasons.
"We lost a great man," former Broncos receiver Rod Smith wrote via Instagram. "Just happened to be a hell of a ball playa. We love you and miss you Bone. One of the Broncos all time best tackles. greatest dresser of ALL-TIME!"
A member of the Broncos' Top 100 Team, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Jones was part of a small but talented offensive line in Denver that also included fellow tackle Gary Zimmerman, guards Mark Schlereth and Brian Habib, and center Tom Nalen. The Broncos' line helped carve out a Hall of Fame career for running back Terrell Davis, who took home MVP honors following Denver's upset win over the defending champion Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The following season, Davis won league MVP honors after rushing for 2,008 yards. In Super Bowl XXXIII, Jones' protection of John Elway's blindside helped Elway win MVP honors in what was the final game of his Hall of Fame career.
During his final two seasons, Jones blocked for 1,000-yard backs Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson. In 1994, Jones was tabbed as a second-team All-Pro while helping the Browns advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Jones started in 174 of his 184 regular season appearances. He also started in 12 of his 13 playoff games.
"He was an amazing guy, a heck of a nice guy," Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater told the Broncos' website. "Great football player — mean, nasty. That's the kind of guy that you want to go to war with if you're going to war. And we were really good friends. We lived in the same neighborhood when we lived in Georgia — lived down in Sugarloaf down there. We had a pretty good friendship. ... He and one other friend of mine, we got lunch a little bit before I moved from Atlanta, took me out to lunch. I always remember how nice of a guy he was, how great he was with his kids. A good guy, man."
