Denver Broncos’ 2-time Super Bowl champ OL Tony Jones dies at 54

The Denver Broncos are mourning the loss of one of their former star offensive linemen. Tony Jones, a two-time Super Bowl champion, died at the age of 54.

A 13-year NFL veteran, played four seasons for the Broncos at tackle from 1997-2000. He served as the team’s right tackle during their first world championship season in 1997 and held future Hall of Famer Reggie White without a sack in Super Bowl XXXII.

Jones then played left tackle in 1998 as Denver earned another title. Jones earned Pro Bowl honors that season as he protected John Elway’s blind side.

“He was an amazing guy, a heck of a nice guy,” Pro Football Hall of Fame DB Steve Atwater said. “Great football player — mean, nasty. That’s the kind of guy that you want to go to war with if you’re going to war. And we were really good friends. We lived in the same neighborhood when we lived in Georgia — lived down in Sugarloaf down there. We had a pretty good friendship. … He and one other friend of mine, we got lunch a little bit before I moved from Atlanta, took me out to lunch. I always remember how nice of a guy he was, how great he was with his kids. A good guy, man.”