Jalen Ramsey Credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union
NFLBy Chris Novak on

Homer Jones, credited with inventing the football spike celebration, died on Wednesday at 82.

Jones starred most prominently with the New York Giants in his football career. He was a 20th-round draft pick out of Texas Southern in 1963 by the Houston Oilers. He spent one year with the club before going to the Giants for six seasons.

While he was a member of the Giants, Jones became an iconic innovator. Per ESPN, “He first spiked the football after an 89-yard touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 17, 1965, for his first career score.”

Jones had commented at the time about his choice to spike the football. He said it came from the NFL’s decision on what players could do with the ball. The legendary Jones said, via ESPN:

“I had always said that when I made my first touchdown, I was gonna throw the ball in the stands. They changed the rules in the offseason to, I think, a $500 fine for throwing the ball into the stands. And as I crossed the goal line, my intention had always been to throw that ball into the stands, but I thought about that $500, and I threw it on the ground. So that was the original spike right there.”

The Giants left a tribute for Jones on Twitter.

Others partook with tributes as well. We send condolences to his family and loved ones.

[ESPN]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022

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