Former San José State wide receiver Chandler Jones died on Sunday in Los Angeles after being hit in a highway accident.
He was 33 years old.
Jones − nicknamed ‘the Jet’ from his time at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California and with the Spartans − was hit by a Toyota RAV4 near an off-ramp on California State Route 90 at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said that Jones died from blunt traumatic injuries.
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of alum, Chandler Jones ‘09,” Bishop Montgomery High School said in a social media post. “Jones was a standout player on Bishop’s football team and still holds the record for longest kick-off return (97 yards) and longest fumble recovery (98 yards).”
Jones’s best season in college with San Jose State was 2013, when he had 79 catches for 1,356 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he was named first-team All-Mountain West Conference team as a receiver. All-Pro Davante Adams, who played for Fresno State, was the other receiver on the first team that season. Jones left school with the second-most receiving yards in school history.
Jones went on to appear on the practice squads of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, and Cleveland Browns and played for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes in 2016.