Homer Jones, former Giants receiver and inventor of spike celebration, dies at 82

The world of football is mourning the death of former New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones, who famously was the first player to “spike” the football after a touchdown. Jones died Wednesday at the age of 82 after a battle with lung cancer. Jones is survived by his six children.

Jones played college football and ran track at Texas Southern University and was drafted as the 278th pick in 1963 by the Houston Oilers, but was cut after suffering a knee injury. Jones went on to play seven years in the NFL and played his best ball as wide receiver for the Giants from 1964-69. Jones retired in 1971 after a season with the Cleveland Browns.

Jones was a big-play receiver and holds the NFL record for career yards per reception at 22.3 yards.

The two-time Pro Bowler first spiked the football on Oct. 17, 1965, after scoring an 89-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, his first career touchdown.

At the time, stars like Frank Gifford and Paul Hornung would celebrate touchdowns by throwing the ball into the stands, but after a 1965 rule stated players would be fined $500 for doing so, Jones instead decided to throw the ball into the ground. He called the celebration a “spike.”

Over half a century later, it's hard to find a player who hasn't spiked the ball after a touchdown, and Jones' move has become a staple in football and pop culture. Rob Gronkowski propelled Jones' move and even tried to brand it as his own, hence the "Gronk Spike."

Jones had a career season in 1967, catching 49 passes for 1,209 yards and an average of 24.7 yards per reception. He also led the league in receiving touchdowns with 13 and was second in the league in combined rushing and receiving yards from scrimmage. Jones went to his first Pro Bowl that year and was named second-team All-Pro.

Without Jones' creativity and opposition to a $500 fine, we may have not seen the evolution of touchdown celebrations that we enjoy so much today.