By Canadian Press

June Jones leaves Hamilton Tiger-Cats for XFL head coaching position

May 15, 2019 | 10:48 AM

HAMILTON — June Jones is leaving the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the XFL.

The Ticats confirmed Monday that Jones has stepped down as their assistant head coach/offensive co-ordinator to pursue other opportunities. Both the Houston Chronicle and Pro Football Talk reported that Jones would become the head coach of the XFL’s franchise in Houston.

The Ticats promoted receivers coach Tommy Condell to offensive co-ordinator.

“We feel very fortunate that Tommy is in the building,” Ticats head coach Orlondo Steinauer said on the club’s website. “We’re excited for June, when you have great people in the building they’re always going to be approached.

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“We have Tommy here so we’re going to move forward.”

The timing of Jones’s departure is hardly ideal with training camp scheduled to open Sunday. But Condell said the team will run “the Ticats offence.”

“It’s going to be our offence,” he said. “They (Ticats) had a tremendous amount of success last year and to be able to coalesce that with what we’ve done in the past and make it in our offence, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Condell, 46, re-joined the Ticats in January after spending two seasons with Toronto. Condell served as the Argonauts’ offensive co-ordinator/receivers coach in 2018 after working as receivers coach in 2017 when the franchise won the Grey Cup.

Condell was Hamilton’s offensive co-ordinator/receivers coach from 2013-15. During that time, the Ticats’ offence ranked at or near the top in several categories.

Jones, 66, stepped down as Ticats coach in December so that assistant head coach Steinauer could take the top job. Jones stayed on as the club’s offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach.

Jones became Hamilton’s interim head coach in 2017 following the club’s 0-8 start. The Ticats finished the season winning six-of-10 games under Jones, who became the full-time head coach in the off-season.

Last year, the Ticats posted an 8-10 record to finish second in the East Division standings. After dispatching the B.C. Lions 48-8 in the conference semifinal, Hamilton’s season ended with a 46-27 road loss to the Ottawa Redblacks in the division final.

“Any time you can make the playoffs and then win a playoff game, that’s why you’re doing what you’re doing,” Jones said. “It (Hamilton) is a great city, it’s my kind of city and I’ll have fond thoughts forever.”

Jones has an extensive football resume south of the border in both the NCAA and NFL. Most notably, he served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (1994-1996) and San Diego Chargers (1998).

Jones also spent time as a quarterback in the CFL with Toronto (1982).

Jones becomes the second former CFL head coach to head to the XFL. Marc Trestman, who earned Grey Cups as a head coach in Montreal and Toronto, is coach/GM of the league’s Tampa Bay franchise.

The Canadian Press