Calvin Jones rushed for over 3,000 yards during his Nebraska career. (Photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Former Nebraska running back Calvin Jones died Wednesday. He was 54.
Jones was found dead in his basement after Omaha Police were called by a neighbor who reported a gas odor. According to WOWT in Omaha, police said there were “signs of carbon monoxide poisoning” and there was a generator in Jones’ house.
His football coach at Omaha Central high school told Husker Extra that Jones had been using a generator in his basement after the furnace in his house went out.
Jones is one of the greatest high school players in the state of Nebraska and was an incredibly productive player from 1991 through 1993 at Nebraska. He starred in coach Tom Osborne’s run-heavy option system and rushed for 3,153 yards and 40 TDs over three seasons. As a sophomore in 1992, Jones rushed 168 times for 1,210 yards and 14 TDs while also adding 14 catches out of the backfield.
He crossed the 1,000-yard mark again in 1993 with 1,043 yards in nine games, though he had 17 more carries than he did in two fewer games than he did in 1992.
That 1993 Nebraska team finished the regular season 11-0 and at No. 2 in the penultimate AP Top 25. The Big Eight champions faced. No. 1 Florida State in the Orange Bowl, but the Seminoles won the game 18-16 to win the AP national title. Nebraska dropped to No. 3 behind Notre Dame in the final AP poll.
After that season, Jones was taken in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Raiders. He played just three seasons in the NFL and appeared in 15 games with the Raiders and one game in 1996 for the Packers as they won the Super Bowl that season. Jones’ brief NFL career finished with 27 carries for 112 yards and two catches for six yards.