“Khari Jones’ contributions to this football club both on the field and in the community were immeasurable,” said Bombers President and CEO Lyle Bauer.
“To this day Bomber fans continue to speak about Khari in the most glowing of terms. Having said that, it seems only appropriate he should officially retire from the game as a member of the Blue and Gold.”
Jones said today’s signing brought back a flood of precious memories.
“I feel honoured to have the opportunity to retire from professional football as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber,” Jones said. “My time in Winnipeg was truly the best time of my career. I'm thankful to the Winnipeg fans for the support they gave me and my family.”
Jones was one of the best quarterbacks to ever don Blue and Gold. Following his arrival in a trade with the B.C. Lions on Feb. 28, 2000, Jones went on to rewrite the Bomber record book during the next four seasons with the team.
In 2000, Jones took over the starting QB duties midway through the season and never looked back. He got his first start as a Bomber on July 28, 2000 against the Montreal Alouettes and completed 27-of-48 passes for three touchdowns and a whopping 448 yards, which ranked as the eighth best single-game passing yardage mark in team history at that point.
Jones would go on to complete 263-of-510 passes for 4,141 yards and 31 TDs that season. His 510 pass attempts were the 10th best in club history while his 263 completions and 4,142 passing yards ranked 11th and eighth respectively in those categories. He also helped lead the team to its first playoff victory in Hamilton in 65 years, a 22-20 nail-biter over the Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium. He also put up big numbers (22-of-45 passes for 297 yards and two TDs) against Montreal in a 35-24 loss to the Als in the East Final.
K.J. had arguably the best season ever by a Bomber pivot in 2001. He helped lead the Big Blue to a 14-4 regular season mark and led the CFL in eight statistical categories, including passing completions (329), passing yardage (4,545) and TD passes (30).
That performance earned him the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award. It was the first time a Blue Bomber won the award since former Winnipeg QB Tom Clements was named the league’s top performer in 1987.
Jones didn’t let up in the post-season, either. He led the Bombers to a 28-13 win over the archrival Ticats in the 2001 East Final, passing for 154 yards and two TDs despite the blustery conditions at Canad Inns Stadium. Jones also put up big numbers in the Grey Cup, passing for 286 yards and two TDs in a heart-breaking 27-19 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
Jones and Co. kept the pedal to the metal in 2002. The Bomber pivot set or tied 18 Winnipeg Football Club records and led the CFL in passing completions (382), passing attempts (620), passing yards (5,334) and passing touchdowns (46). He threw five TD passes in a game four times that season and surpassed the 300-yard passing mark in a game an astounding 10 times in 2002. His 46 TD passes surpassed the previous team mark in the category by 10 set by former Bomber Matt Dunigan in 1994.
The Big Blue signal-caller was solid in the Bombers’ heart-breaking 33-30 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in that year’s West Final at Commonwealth. He threw for 202 yards and one TD in a losing cause.
In 2003, Jones dressed for all 18 regular season games and completed 274-of-502 pass attempts for 4,016 yards and 25 TDs. He also gained 350 rushing yards on 56 carries. That performance pushed him into second place in the Bomber record book for 3,000-yard passing seasons (four), passing attempts (2,178), passing completions (1,248), passing TDs (132) and passing yards (18,037). It also helped the Bombers earn a berth in that year’s West Semifinal. Despite a 37-21 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Jones still managed to pass for 260 yards and two TDs.
Jones started the 2004 season with the Bombers, appearing in 11 games and completing 168-of-300 passes for 2,138 yards and seven TDs. He was traded to the Calgary Stampeders in September as part of a deal that saw defensive end Joe Fleming, safety Wes Lysack and fullback Scott Regimbald join the Big Blue.
Jones joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a free agent in 2005 and saw action in eight games with the Tabbies. He signed with the Edmonton Eskimos as a free agent in 2006 but did not see any action before leaving the sidelines for the broadcast booth when he joined the CFL on CBC team.
Jones still ranks first in several individual Bomber statistical categories including most passing yardage in a season (5,334 yards in 2002), most consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons (four), most passing completions in a season (382 in 2002). Last year, Jones and Bomber slotback Milt Stegall were voted the Making the Connection tandem as the CFL’s top quarterback-and-receiver pairing of all time.
PLEASE NOTE: Bomber fans will have a chance to meet Khari Jones and Milt Stegall on THURSDAY, OCT. 18 from 5-8 p.m. at the Bomber Store during a special autograph session.
