Khari Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Khari Jones

UBC Thunderbirds
Jones with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023
Born:	(1971-05-16) May 16, 1971 (age 54) Hammond, Indiana, U.S.
Career information
CFL status	International
Position(s)	Offensive coordinator Assistant head coach
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg)
College	UC Davis
Hand	Right
Career history
As administrator
2022	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Football operations consultant)
As coach
2009–2010	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (QBC)
2011	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (OC)
2012–2013	Saskatchewan Roughriders (QBC)
2014–2017	BC Lions (OC)
2018	Montreal Alouettes (OC)
2019–2022	Montreal Alouettes (HC & OC)
2023	Ottawa Redblacks (OC/AHC)
2025–present	UBC Thunderbirds (QBC)
As player
1995–1996	Albany Firebirds (AFL)
1996	Scottish Claymores (WLAF)
1997–1999	BC Lions (CFL)
2000–2004	Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
2004	Calgary Stampeders (CFL)
2005	Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)*
2005	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)
2006	Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)*
2007	Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
*Offseason and/or practice roster member only
Career highlights and awards
101st Grey Cup Champion
CFL All-Star	2001
CFL East All-Star	2001
CFL West All-Star	2002
Awards	2001 CFL MOP
Career stats
Playing stats at CFL.ca (archive)

Khari Jones (born May 16, 1971) is a former professional Canadian football player from the United States. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the UBC Thunderbirds university team. Khari Jones used to be the head coach for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

He played as a quarterback in the CFL, where he was most successful with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jones also played for a short time in the Arena Football League with the Albany Firebirds. He also played for the Scottish Claymores in the World League of American Football. Besides football, he was a sports reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He has also been an offensive coordinator for several CFL teams.

Khari Jones' Playing Career

College Football Journey

Khari Jones was a record-setting quarterback at the University of California, Davis. In his two years as a starting player, he became the first UC Davis quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a single season. He also threw over 50 touchdowns in his college career.

He helped the Aggies team achieve a great record of 17 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie in 1992 and 1993. In 2000, Khari Jones was honored by being added to the UC Davis Aggies Hall of Fame.

Arena Football and NFL Europe

In 1995, Jones joined the Albany Firebirds in the Arena Football League. He didn't play much in his first two seasons. He completed only 3 out of 5 passes in 1995 and 3 out of 4 passes in 1996.

In 1996, he also played one season for the Scottish Claymores. This team was part of the World League of American Football, which later became NFL Europe.

Canadian Football League Highlights

Khari Jones signed with the BC Lions in 1997. He played very little during his three years with the Lions. He was mainly a backup player behind the main quarterback, Damon Allen.

In 2000, Jones joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He started as a backup to Kerwin Bell. However, Jones soon became the starting quarterback during the 2000 season. This led to the Bombers releasing Bell.

The 2001 was a fantastic year for Jones. He was named the CFLs Most Outstanding Player. He led the Bombers to a 14-4 record, which included 12 straight wins! Jones was the Bombers' quarterback in the 2001 Grey Cup in Montreal. However, the favored Winnipeg team lost to the Calgary Stampeders 27-19.

Jones' next season, 2002, was even better in terms of statistics. He threw for 5,353 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes. This was the third-highest number of passing touchdowns in a season in CFL history. From 2000 to 2002, Jones threw 107 touchdown passes. This was more than any other quarterback in the CFL or NFL during that same time. In his four seasons with Winnipeg, Jones set seventeen Bomber passing records. He even threw five touchdowns in a single game four times in one season.

During the 2004 CFL season, Jones was traded from the Blue Bombers to the Calgary Stampeders. This was partly because of a shoulder injury that affected his playing. After the 2004 and 2005 seasons, the Stampeders signed a new player, Henry Burris, and Jones was released.

Jones tried out for the Edmonton Eskimos at the start of the 2005 CFL season. But the Eskimos had signed Ricky Ray and already had Jason Maas. So, Jones was released again. Midway through the 2005 season, he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was released after playing eight games.

Before the 2006 season, Jones signed with the Eskimos again. But he was released once more on June 10, 2006, during training camp cuts.

A few days later, on June 13, 2006, the CBC announced that Jones would be a sideline reporter for their CFL on CBC broadcasts.

On October 17, 2007, Jones signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He then signed his retirement papers right after. This allowed him to officially retire in the city where he had the most success during his nine-year CFL career.

Khari Jones' Coaching Career

In 2009, Khari Jones started his coaching career. He became the quarterbacks coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 2011, he was promoted to offensive coordinator. He helped the team reach the East Final game.

On January 3, 2012, he joined the coaching staff for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was their quarterbacks coach. In 2013, he helped his team win the 101st Grey Cup.

Jones was a top choice to become the new offensive coordinator for the BC Lions in 2014. He officially became the offensive coordinator on December 23, 2013.

On January 3, 2018, Jones was announced as the new offensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes for the 2018 CFL season. On June 8, 2019, just before the 2019 season started, the Alouettes made a change. They promoted Jones to the role of head coach. Even though he became head coach only six days before the season, Jones and the Alouettes did very well. They finished with a 10–8 record and were second in the East Division. After the season, he signed a three-year contract to continue as head coach and offensive coordinator.

The 2020 CFL season was canceled, so Jones did not coach that year. In 2021, the team's performance dropped. They finished third in the East Division with a 7–7 record and lost in the East Semi-Final. The team started the 2022 season with a 1–3 record. Because of this, Jones was fired on July 6, 2022.

On July 18, 2022, Jones was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He worked as a football operations consultant.

On December 3, 2022, Jones was named the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ottawa Redblacks. However, the Redblacks struggled in 2023, finishing with a 4-14 record. Jones was fired on November 3, 2023.

On January 15, 2025, Jones was hired as the quarterback coach for the UBC Thunderbirds football team.

Head Coaching Record Summary

Other Work and Acting Career

Khari Jones also worked on videos for a program called LivingWorks. He recorded videos that help trainers teach people about important life skills. He said it was "more than an acting job" for him. His videos have helped over 300,000 people in more than 20 countries.

While studying at the University of California in Davis, Jones took acting classes. These classes helped him get roles in various TV movies.

Film Roles

Khari Jones' Personal Life

Khari Jones is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. He lives in Surrey, British Columbia with his wife, Justine, and their daughters, Jaelyn and Siena. His parents are Cauley Ray and Nina Maria Jones. His brother, Jamie Jamar Jones, is a filmmaker and podcaster. Khari met his wife in a theater class when they were both students at UC Davis. They even acted in plays together.