Calvin Jones, former Nebraska collegiate standout who finished his short-lived yet iconic NFL career spanning three seasons with the Packers, died this week.

Former Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champion Calvin Jones died on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. He was 54 years old. Also, a Nebraska Cornhuskers legend who covered over 3,000 yards in three seasons, the football player appears to have succumbed to an apparent case of carbon monoxide poisoning, per the Associated Press.

‘Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning’ suspected in former college football legend Calvin Jones’ death

Police found Jones unconscious in the basement of a north Omaha house around 8:30 pm on Wednesday. Officials were responding to a report of gas odours. Although speculations about the cause of death are high in the air, the pending autopsy has yet to officially confirm anything.

Jo Dusatko, a friend of Calvin Jones, told the Omaha World-Herald that the furnace in his home was not working and he was using a generator in the basement.

Super Bowl legend Calvin Jones’ professional career

The Omaha native initially found glory playing for his hometown Cornhuskers from 1991-93. In his freshmen season, he led the Big 8 Conference in scores. Jones was eventually named an All-American during his sophomore stretch.

As the other half of coach Tom Osbourne’s celebrated “we-back” system, Jones teamed up with Derek Brown to create an unrivalled rushing attack in college. Thanks to their record-breaking efforts in a 1992 game, the duo led Nebraska to the Orange Bowl.

Calvin Jones was ultimately a third-round selection of the Las Vegas Raiders in the 1994 NFL draft. Throughout his short-lived big league stint, he played a total of 16 games—15 over two seasons with the Raiders and one for the Packers in 1996. In the former case, he had 27 carries for 112 yards and two catches for 6 yards, whereas he had no carries for the latter. He finally won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1997.