Calvin Jones, a record-setting Nebraska football running back in the early 1990s, died Wednesday in Omaha. He was 54 years old.

As first reported by KETV, the Omaha Central graduate was found dead at his residence 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 and Jones was found deceased in the basement. The early indication shared by Omaha Police to KETV was of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jones had a stellar career at Nebraska, playing for three years after redshirting his freshman season in 1990. He set a freshman record of 900 rushing yards as NU’s alternate to leading back Derek 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, when he replaced an injured Brown and toted the rock 27 times for a then-Nebraska record 294 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He would earn Big Eight Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors for his efforts.

Jones was a unanimous All-Big 8 selection in 1992 as a sophomore and had already piled up more than 2,000 career rushing yards. He totaled 1,210 rushing yards and 14 scores in 1992 before adding another 1,043 rushing yards during his final season in Lincoln in 1993. The preseason Heisman Trophy candidate injured his knee in the first game of the year and missed two games that season, but moved to second all-time in Nebraska history with 3,153 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns.

He finished 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 earned him a third-team All-American honor in 1993 after finishing as a second-teamer in 1992. The 1993 Doak Walker Award finalist was a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1994 NFL Draft.

He played two season for the Raiders before spending his final NFL year in Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots as a member of the 1996 Packers. After his NFL career, Jones returned to Omaha and played for the Omaha Beef in 2000.

Jones was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

As a prep athlete, Jones was a notable part of the high school football scene in Omaha. At Omaha Central, Jones set the Class A single-game rushing record (367 yards), the single-season rushing mark (2,196), and the career rushing record (3,965). He scored 22 touchdowns during his senior season and was named a Gatorade Circle of Champions Nebraska running back of the year. He also claimed a state championship as a sprinter at Central.

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

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