Former Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champion and Nebraska Cornhuskers legend Calvin Jones died Wednesday.
He was 54 years old.
Running back's death indicates carbon monoxide poisoning; Omaha police told WOWT-TV..
Officers arrived at Jones' home around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after a neighbor reported the smell of gas. A generator was running inside, and Jones was found unconscious in the basement.
Although there were “signs of carbon monoxide poisoning,” the official cause of death has not yet been confirmed and an autopsy report is awaited.
According to Husker ExtraJones ran a generator in his basement because his furnace stopped working.
Jones, an Omaha native, played for his hometown Cornhuskers from 1991 to 1993 and rose to national acclaim. He was the Big 8 Conference's leading scorer in his freshman season and was an All-American in his sophomore season.
Jones served as one half of head coach Tom Osborne's famous “We Back” system, teaming with fellow I-back Derek Brown to create a rushing attack unmatched in the college ranks.
In 1992, the two averaged 329 yards per game, the most in the nation, and led Nebraska to an Orange Bowl appearance.
At the time of his declaration for the NFL Draft, Jones had over 3,000 rushing yards and over 40 touchdowns.
Jones' professional career was short, lasting only three seasons.
He appeared in a total of 16 games between the Raiders and Packers, totaling 112 rushing yards on 27 attempts, and won the Super Bowl with Green Bay in 1997.
Nebraska football paid tribute to the legend in a statement, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Husker legend and Super Bowl champion Calvin Jones. Our hearts go out to the Jones family and our hearts go out to him. will be greatly missed.”
