Former Nebraska running back Calvin Jones died Wednesday. He was 54 years old.
Jones was found dead in his basement after Omaha police were called by a neighbor who reported the smell of gas. According to Wowt in Omaha, police said there were “signs of carbon monoxide poisoning” and that there was a generator in Jones’ home.
A former Omaha Central High School coach, Jo Dusatko, told Husker Extra that Jones used a generator in his basement after his home’s furnace went out.
Jones is one of the greatest high school players in the state of Nebraska and was an incredibly productive player from 1991-93 at Nebraska. He played in coach Tom Osborne’s option-heavy system and rushed for 3,153 yards and 40 touchdowns over three seasons. As a sophomore in 1992, Jones rushed 168 times for 1,210 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 14 catches from the backfield.
He broke the 1,000-yard mark again in 1993 with 1,043 yards in nine games, although he had 17 more carries than him in two fewer games than in 1992.
That 1993 Nebraska team finished the regular season 11-0 and at No. 2 in the penultimate Top 25. AP National title. Nebraska fell to No. 3 behind Notre Dame in the latest AP poll.
After that season, Jones was taken in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Raiders. He only played 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.
