Calvin Jones, Former Nebraska Running Back, Dies at 54

Originally posted on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI
By Austin Jacobsen | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 4:31 PM ET

Calvin Jones, a former running back and Nebraska football legend, died Wednesday. He was 54-years old.

As first reported by KETV, the Omaha Central graduate was found dead at his residence on Wednesday, after a close family friend reported that Jones was having issues with his furnace. Per the police report, officers responded to help Omaha Fire with an odor of gas as Jones was found deceased in the basement. The early indication shared from Omaha Police to KETV was of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jones was a career highlight while at Nebraska, playing for three years with the Big Red after redshirting his freshman season in 1990. He set a freshman record of 900 rushing yards as NU's alternate to leading back Dereck Brown in 1991, becoming the first freshman to lead the Big Eight Conference in scoring - ending with 8.4 points per game. His inaugural season was most remembered for a monstrous day at Kansas on Nov. 9, replacing an injured Brown and toting the rock 27 times for a then-Nebraska record 294 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He would earn a Big Eight Offensive Newcomer of the Year for his efforts.

Jones was a unanimous All-Big 8 selection in 1992 as a sophomore, making history with a 2,000 yard career by the end of his second year as a Husker. The Omaha native ended with 1,210 rushing yards and 14 scores in 1992, before adding another 1,043 rushing yards in his final season in Lincoln in 1993. The preseason Heisman Trophy candidate injured his knee on the first game of the year and would miss two games that season, but moved to second all-time in Nebraska history with 3,153 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns.

He would finish his career averaging 105.1 yards per game including 16 100 yard rushing performances. Not only was Jones a consensus All-Big 8 selection in 1992 and '93, but his dominance would earn him a Third-Team All-American honor in 1993 after finishing as a Second-Team All-American in 1992. The 1993 Doak Walker Award Finalist was a third round NFL Draft pick by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1994 NFL Draft.

He would play two season for the Raiders before spending his final year in Green Bay as a Packer, winning Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots as part of the 1996 Packers. Following his NFL career, Jones would return to Omaha playing for the Omaha Beef in 2000.

Jones would earn Hall of Fame status at Nebraska in 2004, being inducted along with other class members.

As a prep athlete, Jones was a notable piece to the high school football scene in Omaha. At Omaha Central, Jones would earn the Class A single-game rushing record (367 yards), the single-season rushing mark (2,196), and the career rushing title (3,965). He went on to score 22 touchdowns his senior season for the Eagles, culminating as a Gatorade Circle of Champions Nebraska running back of the year. He would also claim a state championship as a sprinter at Central.

Jones was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.