Former USC All-American and Rams Pro Bowl running back Jon Arnett died on Saturday of heart failure at the age of 85, USC announced on Monday.
Arnett was a member of the inaugural class for the USC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994 and also was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. A gymnast early in life, he was known as an exhilarating runner who also returned kickoffs and punts.
A Los Angeles native, Arnett arrived at USC out of Manual Arts High School, lettering for the Trojans from 1954-56. In his second season, Arnett was named an All-American after rushing for 672 yards and 11 touchdowns and catching six passes for 154 yards and three TDs.
In 1955 and 1956, Arnett won the W.J. Voit Trophy, given to the top player on the Pacific Coast.
Following the 1956 season, he finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Pop Warner Award given to the top senior on the West Coast, all despite playing in just half of the games his senior season.
He also participated in track and field at USC, winning back-to-back NCAA team titles with the Trojans in 1954 and 1955. He placed second in the long jump at the 1954 NCAA meet.
Arnett, who went by the nickname “Jaguar Jon”, was the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1957 NFL Draft, going four spots ahead of running back Jim Brown.
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons in the NFL, with his best season coming in 1958 when he reached career highs in rushing yards (683), receiving yards (494) and touchdowns (seven). He earned All-Pro honors for that 1958 season as he led the NFL in punt return yardage.
He still holds the Rams’ record for longest kickoff return (105 yards) and still ranks in USC’s top 25 for rushing yards (1,898) and punt and kickoff returns.
“He was just so unique,” said Steve Bisheff, who wrote the 1972 book ‘Los Angeles Rams’. “He was so exciting. He brought you out of your seat all the time.”
After seven seasons with the Rams, Arnett finished his NFL career with the Chicago Bears from 1964-66.
After he retired from football, Arnett worked in several different industries, most recently owning a food distribution business. In 2005, he and his wife, Jane, founded the Retired Professional Athlete Association to advocate for the rights of former football players and their families.
Staff Writer Kevin Modesti contributed to this report.
